Safety

Hydrogen's properties are very different from other fuels. It is very much lighter than air and even from the liquid state it diffuses quickly and doesn't linger and spread along the ground like current oil and gas fuels do. It has been shown that to ignite hydrogen in an open space needs a significant amount of energy, even with its lower flash point (equivalent to the energy needed to ignite a hydrogen-air mixture).

Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) is stored at -252.8 degsC and in this form can cause serious freeze burning. However, there is a low likelihood of most people ever coming into contact with LH2. Due to the necessity to store LH2 and minimise boil-off (when LH2 becomes gaseous without coercion), LH2 will be stored and handled similarly to current fuels (to maximise familiarity) but with much tighter tolerances and strict standards. However, those points will encourage and facilitate both use and implementation but will inevitably cost more (at least in the short term) than their fossil fuel functional equivalents.

Additionally, these are still emerging technologies and standards are yet to be developed for many aspects of them. Current prototypes have even gone as far as having robotic filling stations. A compromise on this level of automation could be something akin to all filling points on all vehicles are standardised at being 1m off the ground (+/- suspension travel). Such a simple standard, together with a standard, sealed and lockable nozzle, would give opportunities for simplification of a filling pump station. These could ensure that only deliberate mishandling or considerable accident could cause a spill. With fuel-cell cars, it would be possible to interlock the filling point with the "ignition" to ensure the vehicle cannot be driven with the nozzle inserted or the cap/ tank entry point open. Other than ultra low profile vehicles such an approach would not require significant change to fundamental vehicle designs. They would also be "compatible" with existing filling station fore-courts, again maximising consumer familiarity.

Iceland, for example, is committed to the realisation of the hydrogen economy. It has large geothermal energy reserves that it can use to generate hydrogen. Excess hydrogen can be piped to nearby nations such as the United Kingdom (UK).