I have gotten a lot more openminded to say, economical engineering reasoning... You know, like with the lightbulb cartel, but also basically if you value energy efficiency turns out the bulbs fall within those specs they were imposing one themselves which is still hella sus (yeah yeah we all love technologyconnections). Then again to just assume that if a product managed to push another off the market it must have been inherently better is going one if not several bridges too far. There is so much foul play, foul play in every "felt-as-unobserved" place the eye stumbles.
So I must say statements as these are conjecture. And will respond with conjecture in kind
In 1930 I doubt any oil baron would be afraid of hydrogen replacing gas in cars because the issues with it would be storing it and making it.
For one if you have a near monopoly and enjoy the success of such practices, why take the chance? In that era science had much more of a can do attitude. Then also as a titan of the industry, immersed in a titan of the industry social strata, you probably have a little more sense of scale, of what kind of volumes the others churn, and where you could save money in your own factories, and they in theirs... It might not be profitable to bring to the endconsumer, but maybe they have a lot of waste energy they could recycle and increase their own margins, and you might loose a valuable business partner in the process... Why go on a modernisation spree that's so disruptive much nicer to have a gentlemen's cartel, lalala can't hear you over the short terms profits kinda deal.
Ok enough of that. Back to hydrogen. I realize my utopic visions allways lean towards costly solutions. But to me not economically viable is such a non-argument. You think the pyramids were fucking economically viable, no, but we are still enjoying that shit. Ultimatively as long as the economy turns debt is just a number on a paper somewhere. You know if 50 years down the line most of the landmass is desert people sure as shit aren't going to say: "but look at the bright side: our national debts could be much more excessive".