Back in February of 2013 when we spoke to hydrogen vehicle expert Robert Boyd, the mass market appeal of hydrogen cars seemed somewhat limited to say the least -- hydrogen was less than an ideal fuel for a number of reasons. But a lot can happen in eight years, and now the hydrogen car seems to be re-emerging as a viable alternative to our old gas guzzlers. This week on Sea Change Radio, we provide listeners an update on the  hydrogen-powered vehicle with Scott Lerner, a writer who's been driving a hydrogen-fueled Toyota Mirai since 2017. He tells us of the advantages and disadvantages of driving a clean fuel vehicle that's not an EV, what hurdles the hydrogen vehicle industry faces, and why he thinks there's a chance our nation's enormous trucking fleet will someday be powered by clean-burning hydrogen gas.

Narrator  0:01  This is Sea Change Radio covering the shift to sustainability. I'm Alex Wise.

Scott Lerner (SL)  0:18  There are a lot of really, really frustrated people who are not driving these cars anymore who have given up, who think it's a sort of a failure just for those minor inconveniences. And I'm really fascinated by the fact that these seem to portend future transitions that will have to undergo as the climate changes that will pose far greater inconveniences, and that concerns me and makes me wonder how really well prepared we are for such a such an event.

Narrator  0:44  Back in February of 2013, when we spoke to hydrogen vehicle expert Robert Boyd, the mass market appeal of hydrogen cars seemed somewhat limited to say the least. Hydrogen was less than an ideal fuel for a number of reasons. But a lot can happen in eight years. And now the hydrogen car seems to be reemerging as a viable alternative to our old gas guzzlers. This week on Sea Change Radio, we provide listeners an update on the hydrogen powered vehicle with Scott Lerner, a writer who has been driving a hydrogen fueled Toyota Mirai since 2017. He tells us of the advantages and disadvantages of driving a clean fuel vehicle that's not an EV what hurdles the hydrogen vehicle industry faces, and why he thinks there's a chance our nation's enormous trucking fleet will someday be powered by clean burning hydrogen gas.

Alex Wise (AW)  1:59  I'm joined now on Sea Change Radio by Scott Lerner. Scott is a writer, lecturer in composition at UC Irvine, and hydrogen vehicle enthusiasts. Scott, welcome to Sea Change Radio.

Scott Lerner (SL) Thanks so much happy to be here.

(AW) - So you wrote a piece for the Sierra Club's magazine, in last December's issue entitled The hydrogen fuel cell car, a bumpy ride to a cleaner future, and I thought it was a great snapshot of where things are right now, in the hydrogen fuel space. Let's start at the beginning of your experience with hydrogen fuel. You mentioned in the piece in 2003. When then President George W. Bush and Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, we're pushing for hydrogen fuel to be our vehicles of the future.

SL  2:49  Yeah, thanks so much. Well, I do remember that moment when Swartz Nagar was talking about the hydrogen highway. And I do remember President Bush, speaking at the State of the Union, and talking about the possibility of cars to be powered by hydrogen. And it just seems seemed fascinating and far-fetched to me. And Fast Forward several years, I'm on the 57 freeway driving through Orange County. And lo and behold, there's a hydrogen card right in front of me and actually next to me in the carpool lane, skipping all the traffic. So I went home and did some research couldn't believe that it actually had come to fruition.