Mercedes Mullins
Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) are cars that use hydrogen as fuel. They are powered by an electric motor, which is fuelled by hydrogen stored in an onboard tank. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are energy-efficient, produce no emissions, and have a range and performance similar to their gasoline counterparts. However, they are more expensive to produce and require more energy to produce the hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are seen as an alternative to battery-electric vehicles, with companies such as Toyota, Hyundai, and Honda investing in the technology.
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What You'll Learn
Hydrogen fuel cars are electric cars
In a hydrogen fuel car, hydrogen and oxygen generate electrical energy through a process known as reverse electrolysis. The hydrogen is stored in carbon-fiber reinforced tanks, and the oxygen comes from the ambient air. The electricity generated in the fuel cell takes two routes: it flows to the electric motor and directly drives the vehicle, and/or it charges a battery that acts as temporary storage until the energy is needed for the drive. This ""buffer" battery is significantly smaller and lighter than the battery of an all-electric car.
Hydrogen fuel cars have several advantages over electric cars. Firstly, they do not have the weight of a large battery, which can improve performance. Secondly, they have a shorter refueling time than electric cars, which can be refueled in just three to four minutes. Thirdly, they have a long range on a single refueling, with a fuel cell car traveling about twice as far as a conventional car on an equivalent amount of fuel. Finally, hydrogen fuel cars are quiet, very energy-efficient, produce no emissions, and have a similar range and performance to gasoline counterparts.
However, hydrogen fuel cars also have some drawbacks. They have high carbon emissions when hydrogen is produced from natural gas, high energy inputs in production and transportation, and low energy content per unit volume at ambient conditions. Additionally, leaked hydrogen is an invisible, highly flammable gas with a global warming effect 11.6 times stronger than CO2.
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Hydrogen is stored in a reinforced tank
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars that run on hydrogen stored in a reinforced tank inside the car. Hydrogen is stored in a reinforced tank to provide fuel to the fuel-cell stack. The amount of energy stored on board is determined by the size of the hydrogen fuel tank. Hydrogen gas is stored in carbon-fiber reinforced tanks. These tanks are thick-walled and particularly safe. Numerous crash tests have validated the safety of this design, with the tanks remaining undamaged and no hydrogen leakage occurring.
The hydrogen stored in the tank is used to power the car's fuel-cell stack. The fuel-cell stack combines hydrogen with oxygen from the air to produce electricity that powers the car's electric motor. This electricity turns the wheels of the car and produces water vapour as a byproduct.
The reinforced tank ensures that the hydrogen remains securely stored and can be safely refuelled when needed. Hydrogen fuel cell cars can carry enough fuel for a range of 300-400 miles, and their tanks can be refilled as quickly as a standard car's gas tank. The refuelling process involves attaching a nozzle from a fuel dispenser to the receptacle on the vehicle to fill the tank.
The use of reinforced tanks for storing hydrogen is an important aspect of the design and functionality of hydrogen fuel cell cars. It ensures the safe and efficient utilization of hydrogen as an alternative fuel source for vehicles.
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Hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels
Hydrogen fuel cell cars are electric cars that run on hydrogen stored in a reinforced tank inside the car. Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, but it is never found in its pure state. It is always combined with other elements, such as water (H2O) or methane (CH4).
Creating pure hydrogen for vehicles requires a great deal of energy to "crack" compounds like natural gas (CH4) into pure H2, with CO2 as a byproduct. Hydrogen can be produced from diverse, domestic resources, including fossil fuels, biomass, and water through electrolysis using electricity.
Hydrogen from Fossil Fuels
Hydrogen is currently mostly produced from fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, which is a non-renewable source. Fossil fuels can be reformed to release hydrogen from their hydrocarbon molecules. This process is known as steam methane reforming or natural gas reforming and is an advanced and mature hydrogen production process. It involves reacting natural gas with high-temperature steam to create a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Producing one tonne of hydrogen through this process emits 6.6–9.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide. When carbon capture and storage are used to remove a large fraction of these emissions, the product is known as blue hydrogen.
The methane pyrolysis process is a newer method that does not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. This process requires no further energy input beyond the fossil fuel. However, hydrogen produced from fossil fuels with greenhouse gas emissions is generally referred to as grey hydrogen.
The primary challenge of hydrogen production is reducing the cost of production technologies to make hydrogen cost-competitive with conventional transportation fuels. Hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources is referred to as green hydrogen, which is currently more expensive to produce than grey hydrogen.
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Hydrogen fuel cars are eligible for rebates
The availability of rebates and other incentives for hydrogen fuel cars is a reflection of the technology's potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen vehicles produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell, resulting in zero local emissions and only water vapour as a byproduct. This makes them a compelling alternative to traditional combustion engines and even battery-powered electric vehicles.
However, it is important to note that the production of hydrogen for vehicles currently relies on fossil fuels, which can result in high carbon emissions. Nevertheless, hydrogen has the potential to be produced cleanly, and its use as a fuel can help reduce localised air pollution from transportation. As such, rebates and incentives for hydrogen fuel cars can be seen as a way to encourage the adoption of this technology, which has a lower environmental impact than traditional combustion engines.
While hydrogen fuel cars have their advantages, it is worth mentioning that they also face several challenges. One significant hurdle is the transportation and storage of hydrogen, as it has a small molecule size and is highly flammable. Additionally, the production of hydrogen currently requires a significant amount of energy, which can be a pointless waste of energy if fossil fuels are used in the process. However, with advancements in technology and infrastructure, these challenges may be overcome, making hydrogen fuel cars a more viable option in the future.
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Hydrogen fuel cars have a shorter refuelling time
A hydrogen fuel car is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its main source of power. Hydrogen fuel cars are powered by an electric motor and are therefore classified as e-cars. The common abbreviation for this is FCEV, which stands for "Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle".
FCEVs use the same electric drive as BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) but differ in the way they store energy. Hydrogen fuel cars produce electricity themselves, rather than relying on a built-in battery. They have their own power plant on board, which converts the hydrogen in the fuel tank into electricity.
The refuelling process for a hydrogen fuel car is similar to that of a standard car with a gas tank. A nozzle from a fuel dispenser attaches to the receptacle on the vehicle to fill the tank. Hydrogen fuel cars can carry enough fuel for 300-400 miles of range, and their tanks can be refilled as quickly as those of standard cars.
However, it is important to note that hydrogen fuel cars are subject to several drawbacks, including high carbon emissions when hydrogen is derived from natural gas, high production and infrastructure costs, and the difficulty of safely storing and transporting hydrogen due to its small molecular size.
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Frequently asked questions
A hydrogen fuel car is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its motive power. Hydrogen fuel cars are powered by an electric motor and are therefore classified as e-cars.
Hydrogen fuel cars use the same kind of electric motor to turn the wheels as a battery-electric car. However, they are powered by a fuel-cell stack, not a large, heavy battery. In this stack, pure hydrogen passes through a membrane to combine with oxygen from the air, producing electricity and water vapour.
Hydrogen fuel cars are quiet, very energy-efficient, produce no emissions, and have a similar range and performance to gasoline cars. They also have shorter refuelling times than electric cars.
Hydrogen fuel cars are expensive to produce, and the process of producing hydrogen can result in high carbon emissions. Hydrogen is also difficult to store and transport due to the small size of its molecules.
As of 2021, there were two hydrogen fuel cars publicly available: the Toyota Mirai and the Hyundai Nexo. The Honda Clarity was produced from 2016 to 2021.
