The proverbial hard place is the estimated $500,000 per hydrogen gas pump that some investor, either current gasoline retailers or an entirely new organization, will have to outlay. The rock, well the rock is you and me. Ask yourself this? Will you be willing to spend more than you do currently on a gasoline powered car to purchase a fuel cell vehicle, and then have to drive halfway across town to fill it up? Not too likely.
Without a sizable investment from governments at all levels, and healthy tax breaks for those personally willing to put their hard earned money where their mouths are, a hydrogen economy will remain a bit of blue sky in an ozone depleted horizon. That would be a crying shame.
That said the Honda FCX-V4 gives us something real to contemplate, and Honda should be commended for spending the time, energy and substantial resources developing it, especially considering its limited direct application. Sure they'll be able to pull some valuable 'green points' for being first to hit the road with an EPA and CARB certified fuel cell vehicle, an achievement that their creative marketing teams in-turn can spin into more Honda Civic and Accord sales.
For now we can only dream, and then lobby our respective governments and write letters of persuasion to the many multi-national oil companies that could make a difference. But hold on? Maybe there is something more you can do? If you really feel so strongly about greenhouse gases crush the old car and spend for a new Hybrid. It may not be ZEV but ULEV is a step in the right direction.