Which comes first, hydrogen fuel, or cars that need it?

It's a chicken-or-egg scenario when it comes to emerging fuel-cell technology allowing automobiles to be powered by hydrogen and emit little more than a trickle of water from the tailpipe.

Manufacturers need to commit funds to mass-producing the vehicles, but hydrogen fueling stations to fill those vehicles also are needed.
A push to set up a hydrogen fueling infrastructure has been in development in California for more than four years as car manufactures lease out test-model vehicles. Now, a new proposal has a Connecticut company looking to establish a "hydrogen highway" on the Interstate-95 corridor from Florida to Maine.
Wallingford, Conn.-based Proton Energy Systems has announced plans to develop the privately funded network of stations along the East Coast through sister company SunHydro.
''Hydrogen vehicles are much better for the environment than gasoline-powered vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles have zero harmful emissions," said Robert Friedland, president and chief executive officer of Proton Energy, which makes equipment that derives hydrogen from water.
SunHydro has received approval to develop a hydrogen refueling station at its headquarters in Wallingford and plans to build upward of 10-15 new stations in the next two years to satisfy what the company anticipates will be growing consumer demand. Read more.