[Olog-hai]

That it does. The number I cited is just the energy that needs to go into the water molecule to break apart the hydrogen bonds to oxygen, and IIRC there is a thermodynamic penalty as well when the hydrogen atoms join to form H₂ molecules.

[Praxeologue]

The ideal combination would be Thorium (LFTR) electricity generation, with Hydrogen energy storage.

With the advances being made by the Chinese, low-cost Thorium energy could be only a decade away.

Let's hypothesize that, ten years from now, Thorium-generated electricity costs 10% per btu what gasoline costs and that the conversion to Hydrogen through electrolysis is 50% efficient. In today's terms, that would mean hydrogen would cost the btu equivalent of $0.60 per gallon of gasoline.