2. Fear of the Unknown%%

Fear of change and fear of the unknown is a major issue for any new technology. It is interesting to note that the public perception of gasoline as a fuel in 1875 was negative in regards to safety. A quote from a Congressional Record statement illustrates this:

“A new source of power… called gasoline has been produced by a Boston engineer. Instead of burning the fuel under a boiler, it is exploded inside the cylinder of an engine…

“The dangers are obvious. Stores of gasoline in the hands of people interested primarily in profit would constitute a fire and explosive hazard of the first rank. Horseless carriages propelled by gasoline might attain speeds of 14, or even 20 miles per hour. The menace to our people of this type hurtling through our streets and along our roads and poisoning the atmosphere would call for prompt legislative action even if the military and economic implications were not so overwhelming … the cost of producing [gasoline] is far beyond the financial capacity of private industry…In addition, the development of this new power may displace the use of horses, which would wreck our agriculture.”

The public perception of gasoline has markedly changed since this statement; people are content with filling their vehicles with gasoline fuel and subsequently driving around with a large store of the fuel. Therefore, in an attempt to provide a point of comparison, the characteristics of gasoline and hydrogen will be analysed later in this document.

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