Presently, much effort has gone into researching hydrogen as an alternative fuel sources for automobiles. Not only is hydrogen the "cleanest fuel available" and creates "negligible emissions of air pollutants" when powering an internal combustion engine, but it has also been known to actually clean the air while acting as a fuel (Kushnir 12). Roy McAlister and his engineering students at Arizona State University demonstrated this "minus-emissions" effect: .
When run on gasoline, the engine spews out high levels of pollutants, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen monoxide. But the same engine, when converted to run on hydrogen, actually reduces the concentration of hydrocarbons in the ambient air, while showing no production of carbon monoxide and possibly a slight increase in the level of nitrogen monoxide. (167).
Therefore, using hydrogen to fuel cars around the world could actually create a cleaner environment than before; also, hydrogen can be transported from country to country by any normal means already in use, especially by barge. "Since 1898, hydrogen has been shipped in steel cylinders, holding the gas at a pressure of about 2,000 pounds per square inch. These cylinders have passed every safety test during their 80 years of faithful service" (McAlister 166). Even though scientists, manufacturers, and engineers go to extreme lengths to make sure the hydrogen does not escape from their holding containers, if the hydrogen did escape, it would not be as disastrous as an oil rig spilling oil into the ocean. If the hydrogen spilt, it would immediately evaporate into the atmosphere and create water vapor.
Not only would hydrogen be more cost efficient than gasoline, but it would also have greater fuel efficiency. Many companies have already converted to the natural gas aspect of internal combustion engines due to their gained fuel economy and pollution factor.