A news article in the US journal Science reports that the Obama administration wants to end the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles research programme.  Energy Secretary Steven Chu has announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) was putting the brakes on research into automotive hydrogen fuel cells, citing the cost and durability of vehicle fuel cells, the inability to store large volumes of hydrogen fuel, the absence of a carbon-free way of generating the hydrogen, and the need to build a nationwide refueling infrastructure.

There is a debate developing, with proponents of hydrogen, including supporters in Congress, arguing that the technologies are improving rapidly.  Moreover, battery technologies, the basis of electric vehicles, have cost and technology problems of their own, so it would be a mistake to abandon hydrogen, it is urged.