Energizing fuel cells continues to be a major problem while production, transportation, distribution and storage of hydrogen remains difficult Reforming hydrocarbons via a reformer to produce hydrogen is technically challenging and not actually environmentally friendly The refuelling and starting time of fuel cell vehicles are longer, while driving range is shorter than in a conventional vehicle Fuel cells are normally somewhat larger than comparable batteries or engines, however, size of units continues to decrease with research and testing Fuel cells are currently expensive to produce, since most units are hand-made and some use expensive materials The technology is not yet fully developed, therefore few products are readily available Although hydrogen fuel cells appear to be most promising source of alternative fuel, other sources are being researched and tested. Alternative transportation fuels provide economic advantages while also offering significant environmental benefits. They offer air quality advantages through reduced emissions and some fuels produce less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline. There's significant research being conducted worldwide. Canada, for example, is recognized as a world leader in development and use of alternative transportation fuels with more than 170,000 alternative fuel vehicles in use across Canada. Some of most promising alternative fuel sources being suggested for future use in motor vehicles are:

Ethanol Propane Natural gas Biodiesel Electricity Hydrogen At this point, it's anyone's guess what future holds for alternative fuel vehicles.

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All oil beneath surface of earth formed in more than 200 million years, yet in 200 years half of it has been consumed. At that rate, remaining oil resources would be depleted in 40 years. We would still have other fossil fuels like coal, shale oil, tar sands and natural gas. Currently, many of these energy resources are too costly to use, and their conversion to transportation fuels for use in alternative energy vehicles would produce harm to environment. Investigation is ongoing to find new fuels to develop economically and without environmental damage.

Ultimately, solution to our dependence on oil lies in our technological progress in developing alternative energy vehicles that are more environmentally friendly and use energy more efficiently. Research continues to find or create new energy sources to replace petroleum cleanly and inexpensively. As people embrace hybrid cars and other alternative fuel vehicles by asking for and purchasing them, automakers will be encouraged to produce more energy efficient, clean cars and to continue their technical advancements.

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