Here is Volkswagon’s vision of the future:

Now, this is pretty cool.  More along the lines of appearing pretty normal.  Now, according to Cnet, Volkswagon is expecting a consumer version of this car in 7 to 10 years.  What they are waiting on is for some semblence of a hydrogen infrastructure to be in place.

I don’t think that’s going to happen in 7 to 10 years.  The logic is pretty simple.  Several companies have already pondered the infrastructure situation and potential and are looking at more efficient electrical use.  I’ve written about the Volt, it runs on batteries.  Now, my guess is in 7 to 10 years, once batteries become more of a staple of transportation and are being sold by the millions, that technology will only improve.  Particularly, I see a focus on the ability to re-charge in a timely manner.  Possibly, you’ll see stations carrying replacement batteries so a person in a hurry could in theory just drop a new battery in and leave their old battery there, for a fee of course.

What I really don’t see is a mass conversion of mom and pop gas stations across America spending the money it would take to set up hydrogen refueling stations in hopes that some day a bunch of people will be driving cars using that hydrogen.  It just doesn’t make any sense for the gas station owner.  Especially when you consider the fact that cars running on electricity only now are getting 300 miles and more on a single charge.

Now, at this time, Volkswagon’s Hymotion is a electric-gas hybrid.  MY suggestion to Volkswagon is to go the electric route and get these cars on the road now.  If they don’t, and sit around waiting for hydrogen to pop up, they’ll probably wind up way behind the wheel when everyone is driving electric.