Head of GM's hydrogen science speaks

Dr. Mei Cai is the head of hydrogen fuel and chemistry systems. She comes across as quiet, informed, and reserved, but it's obvious that she's extremely proud of the work she's done at GM since she started in 1998.

In that time GM has spent more than a billion dollars developing hydrogen vehicles, and Mei has been there trying to figure out exactly how the hydrogen economy is going to work.

Mei is intrigued by VW's new high-temperature fuel cell, and says that it's very promising. But she's probably right when she says that it's further off than other GM initiatives.

Indeed, managing high-temperature fuel cells in cold climates (like Montana) is currently very impractical. It would probably be fine for L.A. though.

She believes that fuel cells are the future, and sees hybrids as interesting only as a complementary technology. She doesn't see pre-electric as a viable option, and though that is the opinion of her company as well, I think she really believes it.

When I talked about the Volt with her, she wasn't interested in the gasoline-powered version. Her mind went straight to the fuel cells.

Now I know what you're all thinking... where's this hydrogen gonna come from? 

Well, it's her job to know these things. I asked, and she said, of course, from natural gas. But she was also quick to point out the obvious advantages of hydrogen over gasoline.

• The carbon comes from centralized hydrogen production plants, which can be monitored and controlled, instead of from 200 million tailpipes across the world.
• Hydrogen can come from clean sources as they're developed, unlike gasoline. So while there's carbon tied to it now, we could potentially make it from renewable energy as those technologies develop, without having to switch fuels again.
• Powering a car with a hydrogen fuel cell is actually twice as efficient as powering a car with gasoline. So even if you get the hydrogen directly from fossil fuels, the cars produce half as much carbon. So a switch to a hydrogen economy would automatically double our carbon efficiency, even if the H₂ was all coming from natural gas.

She believes in it, and that GM is going to have to be a gas-free car company someday.

EcoGeek's coverage of the LA Auto Show was underwritten by the General Motors Company, which, we agree, is very strange since we say some fairly mean things about them with some regularity. The only condition of their assistance (travel and lodging) is that I disclose it, which, of course, I would have done anyway.