Numbers and forecasts on fuel cells in cars

Reuters quotes some interesting statistics on the fuel cells in automotive industry. The proponents of fuel cells have the most optimistic forecasts: 5-10 mln cars running on hydrogen-fed fuel cells could be on the road within 15 years, with the number ballooning to 350 mln by 2050. DaimlerChrysler currently has 100 vehicles on fuel cells and the most optimistic forecast is 100K cars by 2015. GM aims by 2010 to have fuel cell cars run for 5,500 hours, and cost $50 per kilowatt of power versus $30-$70 now for conventional combustion engines. Linde AG sponsored a study that found it would cost just 3.5 bln euros ($4.24 bln) over 15 years to build 2,800 hydrogen filling stations across Europe in urban areas and along motorways.