There is a lot of hydrogen convergence going on in university labs but little of that research is available to the general student population. Historically, innovation is really about proximity. When young people are able to play with the technology without judgment they come up with solutions to both the big problems and the little-known ones. These are the benefits of open-source technologies.
No established company has enough resources necessary to bring hydrogen convergence to every community and spur grass roots innovation. As you know, hydrogen convergence is about more than just sustainable transport. It is also about the business processes that support economic sustainability and the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure assets.
Open-source applications are needed to service those communities where the economics don’t initially work. Traditional free-market processes will drive sales of hydrogen infrastructure assets in highly industrialized communities (HIC). However, non-traditional processes (i.e., disruptive innovation, cooperatives) are needed to drive deployment in lesser industrialized communities (LIC).
The champions of LICs will most likely be found in campus entrepreneurs because they have the energy to fight the good fight. Some will do so because they want to save their lesser industrialized communities. Others will do so just because it makes the most economic sense. Still others will do it just to stick it to the established energy interests. No matter how they decide America will be better off for it.