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Science 13 August 2004:
Vol. 305. no. 5686, pp. 974 - 976
DOI: 10.1126/science.1093965
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Hybrid Cars Now, Fuel Cell Cars Later

Nurettin Demirdöven1 and John Deutch2*

We compare the energy efficiency of hybrid and fuel cell vehicles as well as conventional internal combustion engines. Our analysis indicates that fuel cell vehicles using hydrogen from fossil fuels offer no significant energy efficiency advantage over hybrid vehicles operating in an urban drive cycle. We conclude that priority should be placed on hybrid vehicles by industry and government.

1 Technology and Policy Program, Engineering Systems Division, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
2 Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. J.D. is a director of Cummins (a manufacturer of diesel engines) and an advisor to United Technologies Corporation, UTC Power, a fuel cell manufacturer.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: jmd{at}mit.edu

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