Hydrogen fuel cell storage is much more complicated and expensive than other types of fuel. This increases overall product costs and increases prices for car manufacturers. The fuel cell can be hazardous due to its highly flammable nature. This makes it a dangerous fuel to have in a vehicle if it crashes.
The reason hydrogen is inefficient is because energy must pass from one cable to another to power a car. This is sometimes referred to as vector energy transition. A decade ago, it seemed that there were two potential contenders to replace fossil fuel in personal transport: electricity and hydrogen. The hydrogen option had a lot going for it.
You could fill your car just like with fossil fuels, but instead of harmful gases coming out of the exhaust pipe, the exhaust would be just pure water vapor. It seemed like the perfect step towards a greener future in which we could continue to use our vehicles as before, only without the environmental drawbacks. Compared to waiting for an electric vehicle's battery to recharge, hydrogen seemed to be the much more convenient option. Despite being light, energy dense, and readily available, hydrogen has not yet established itself as a widely used fuel source.
It has enormous potential, although there are a handful of factors that have limited acceptance worldwide. So why don't we use hydrogen as fuel? Next, we take a closer look at some of the main challenges faced by hydrogen and how they are being addressed. Learn more about the benefits of hydrogen at the Inter-Agency Working Group on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells and the Office of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies. Hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles emit none of these harmful substances, just water (H2O) and hot air.
See the Department of Energy's Office of Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Plan for plans and projections for the future of hydrogen and fuel cells. However, with a hydrogen fuel cell, electricity must first be converted to hydrogen through electrolysis, which is only 75% efficient. Therefore, there are some options available, and all of these vehicles are quite viable for everyday use, since the Mirai offers a range of 312 miles with the tank and the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell manages 366 miles, very healthy. The Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association recently released a report praising hydrogen vehicles.
However, a double-decker hydrogen truck is also being put into service in London, and excavators and hydrogen trains are already being used. According to at least one original equipment manufacturer, the expected cost of mass-produced fuel cell electric vehicles could be similar to the cost of their hybrid counterparts in 2025. Ford has experimented with fuel cell variants of its Focus and Fusion cars, as well as with the Edge crossover, but does not offer any such vehicles for sale. The hydrogen produced must be compressed, cooled and transported to the hydrogen station, a process that has an efficiency of around 90%. Unlike the most common battery-powered electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles don't need to be plugged in, and all current models exceed 300 miles of range with a full tank.
The hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which simply runs on pressurized hydrogen from a service station, produces zero carbon emissions from its exhaust gases. Once produced, hydrogen generates electrical energy in a fuel cell, emitting only water vapor and hot air. .
Leave Reply