ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico — Patient and prescient, Tom Stephenson has waited more than a decade for the hydrogen economy to gain traction.
He co-founded Pajarito Powder, a New Mexico startup that makes key components for fuel cells and hydrogen production, in 2012 convinced the planet's most abundant element would someday play a prominent role in energy and transportation.
That day appears on the horizon. Carbon-reduction efforts and the European Union's pressing desire to wean itself from Russian oil are driving renewed global hydrogen interest. In transportation, the reason is simple.
"Fuel cells are magical," Stephenson said. "That's not a scientific word, but they're amazing."