"And given the conversion from fuel to energy is a chemical reaction, rather than combustion, even with methane,(CNG) as the fuel, the exhaust product is mostly water vapor!"

Combustion is a chemical reaction. The reaction products of combustion are the same as for the ceramic electrochemical cell. Carbon dioxide output is the same.

Toyota is putting out a hydrogen fuel cell car soon which will only release water as waste. Problem is the hydrogen comes from reaction of hydrocarbons with water, with CO2 as the other product, so nothing is environmentally gained. However if water electrolysis by photovoltaic electricity can be harnessed to produce the hydrogen (and oxygen as a by-product), then we'll have a game-breaker. Hydrogen distribution is the problem in a big country like Oz but in Japan it's not so bad. A 700 km range is expected per fill-up.

Electric and hydrogen cars are viable around cities, but the problem is between cities and between continents. Imagine no CO2 created by trucking shipping or aircraft. It's all possible with hydrogen, but will the energy companies let it happen? Nup, look at how our coal industry squealed over carbon-pricing and got Rupert and the servant he placed in government. Corporations have NO concern for anything other than bucks so the pressure has to come from us. Unfortunately all of us on not on the same page, with many unable/unwilling to see CO2 as any issue at all, running interference for the energy companies that harness them.

Toyota is very bold in its endeavour and I wish it well. Just a pity it's not being done here in Oz

Luciferase, in the UK they have started building the Electric Highway
which has charging points at all the service centres.
The chargers can be operated by a card or making a phone call.
They have 30 minute 80% chargers, which gives time for a cup of tea.

Certainly not as fast as just filling with petrol but people using
them report it to be satisfactory.

On the European continent they are not as advanced, but they have started.

We have a Minister for Environment, which covers part of the issue of climate change, but we do not have a Ministry for Energy, and nor do we have a Minister Science. However as we do have Minister for Sport maybe when we find we don’t have a way to power our transport we can all peddle furiously.

That sticks me as pretty silly.

30 minute fill-up times seem problematic. Powerpak change-over might be a part of the future, but battery weight would make that an issue. And what about the outback

Hydrogen storage in alloys will revolutionize hydrogen use. It is the only transportable fuel other than hydrocarbons (petrol diesel LPG). Safe "tankers" carrying H2 in alloy substrates will deliver to "hydrogen station" storage in alloys which empty into trucks/cars/machinery with alloy storage, ready for use in fuel cells.
How 'bout alloy "jerry-cans" too, for those embarrassing moments!

Producing H2 and electricity with nuclear energy seems a good pathway to me, with solar augmentation and eventual solar take-over if/when that technology advances and expands beyond its current limitations

eg. http://hydrexia.com/applications/

Can one of the expert scientists explain why Brisbane on Tuesday night had a cold front driven from the southeast an electrical and thunderstorm while experiencing an upper level high coming from the west in the middle of a winter with record low surface temps throughout the region.

I'd love to see that explained as a result of global warming.
.
Lol but I expect l'll be waiting a long time or totally ignored as there is no possible explanation if the climate is warming..