Powering The Future: Hydrogen Fuel Cells In Automotive Innovation

A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) is a car that uses a fuel-cell stack to combine pure hydrogen with oxygen from the air, producing electricity to turn the wheels and water vapor as a byproduct. The electricity then powers the car's electric motors, resulting in zero tailpipe emissions.

Hydrogen fuel cells power electric motors in vehicles

A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (HFCV) uses the same kind of electric motor to turn the wheels that a battery-electric car does. But it's powered not by a large, heavy battery but by a fuel-cell stack in which pure hydrogen (H2) passes through a membrane to combine with oxygen (O2) from the air, producing the electricity that turns the wheels plus water vapor.

What this means is that a fuel-cell vehicle is technically a series hybrid, which is why they are sometimes classified as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV).

In practice, the driver of an HFCV will find the experience almost identical to driving a battery-electric vehicle, though perhaps not one of the faster ones. There's no transmission, and the car includes regenerative braking to recapture wasted energy as it slows down.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery. Hydrogen enters the anode, where it comes in contact with a catalyst that promotes the separation of hydrogen atoms into an electron and proton. The electrons are gathered by the conductive current collector, which is connected to the car’s high-voltage circuitry, feeding the onboard battery and/or the motors.

The fuel cell stack is an aggregate of numerous fuel cells that combine oxygen and hydrogen to generate electricity and power the electric motor. The electric motor powers the car using energy produced in the fuel cell stack.

Hydrogen reacts electrochemically to produce electricity in fuel cell cars

Hydrogen fuel cell electric cars are powered by the most abundant element in the universe: hydrogen. Although a fuel cell car runs on electricity, it does so differently than battery-powered or plug-in hybrid cars. In a fuel cell, hydrogen reacts electrochemically to produce electricity to power the car.

Fuel cell cars are powered by compressed hydrogen gas that feeds into an onboard fuel cell stack that doesn’t burn the gas, but instead transforms the fuel’s chemical energy into electrical energy. This electricity then powers the car’s electric motors. Tailpipe emissions are zero, and the only waste produced is pure water.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery. Hydrogen enters the anode, where it comes in contact with a catalyst that promotes the separation of hydrogen atoms into an electron and proton. The electrons are gathered by the conductive current collector, which is connected to the car’s high-voltage circuitry, feeding the onboard battery and/or the motors.

The fuel cell stack is an aggregate of numerous fuel cells that combine oxygen and hydrogen to generate electricity and power the electric motor. Hydrogen gas is stored in carbon-fiber reinforced tanks to provide fuel to the fuel-cell stack. The electric motor powers the car using energy produced in the fuel cell stack. The battery captures energy from regenerative braking and provides additional power to the electric motor. The exhaust is the byproduct of the reaction occurring in the fuel cell stack and is emitted through the exhaust as water vapor.

Fuel-cell vehicles are sometimes classified as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV). To scientists, hydrogen isn't actually a fuel but an energy carrier. Hydrogen fuel cells are happiest at a steady power output, which makes them suitable for backup power use. Automotive engineers face the challenge of the power demands in the average car varying by an order of magnitude.

Tailpipe emissions are zero in fuel cell cars

Fuel cell electric cars are powered by the most abundant element in the universe: hydrogen. Although a fuel cell car runs on electricity, it does so differently than battery-powered or plug-in hybrid cars. In a fuel cell, hydrogen reacts electrochemically to produce electricity to power the car. Tailpipe emissions are zero, and the only waste produced is pure water.

A fuel cell stack is an aggregate of numerous fuel cells that combine oxygen and hydrogen to generate electricity and power the electric motor. Hydrogen gas is stored in carbon-fiber reinforced tanks to provide fuel to the fuel-cell stack. The byproduct of the reaction occurring in the fuel cell stack is water vapor, which is emitted through the exhaust.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery. Hydrogen enters the anode, where it comes in contact with a catalyst that promotes the separation of hydrogen atoms into an electron and proton. The electrons are gathered by the conductive current collector, which is connected to the car’s high-voltage circuitry, feeding the onboard battery and/or the motors.

Fuel-cell vehicles are technically a series hybrid, which is why they are sometimes classified as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV). To scientists, hydrogen isn't actually a fuel but an energy carrier.

The driver of an HFCV will find the experience almost identical to driving a battery-electric vehicle. There's no transmission, and the car includes regenerative braking to recapture wasted energy as it slows down. The challenge for automotive engineers is that hydrogen fuel cells are happiest at a steady power output.

Water is the only waste produced by fuel cell cars

A fuel cell electric car is powered by hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe. Hydrogen fuel cells are happy at a steady power output, which makes them suitable for backup power use. Hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles use the same kind of electric motor to turn the wheels that a battery-electric car does. But it's powered not by a large, heavy battery but by a fuel-cell stack in which pure hydrogen (H2) passes through a membrane to combine with oxygen (O2) from the air, producing the electricity that turns the wheels plus water vapor.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery. Hydrogen enters the anode, where it comes in contact with a catalyst that promotes the separation of hydrogen atoms into an electron and proton. The electrons are gathered by the conductive current collector, which is connected to the car’s high-voltage circuitry, feeding the onboard battery and/or the motors.

The byproduct of the reaction occurring in the fuel cell stack is water vapor, which is emitted through the exhaust. Tailpipe emissions are zero, and the only waste produced is pure water.

Hydrogen fuel cells are happy at a steady power output

Hydrogen fuel cells are happiest at a steady power output. This is because the power demands in the average car vary by an order of magnitude, from 15 kilowatts (20 horsepower) to keep a vehicle at a steady highway speed on a flat road to perhaps 10 or 20 times that amount for maximum acceleration to 60 mph or higher.

Hydrogen fuel cells are suited for backup power use because they are happiest at a steady power output. Fuel cell electric cars are powered by the most abundant element in the universe: hydrogen. Although a fuel cell car runs on electricity, it does so differently than battery-powered or plug-in hybrid cars. In a fuel cell, hydrogen reacts electrochemically to produce electricity to power the car.

Fuel cell cars are powered by compressed hydrogen gas that feeds into an onboard fuel cell stack that doesn’t burn the gas, but instead transforms the fuel’s chemical energy into electrical energy. This electricity then powers the car’s electric motors. Tailpipe emissions are zero, and the only waste produced is pure water.

The construction of the fuel cell is similar to a battery. Hydrogen enters the anode, where it comes in contact with a catalyst that promotes the separation of hydrogen atoms into an electron and proton. The electrons are gathered by the conductive current collector, which is connected to the car’s high-voltage circuitry, feeding the onboard battery and/or the motors.

A fuel-cell vehicle is technically a series hybrid, which is why they are sometimes classified as fuel-cell hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEV). A hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle (HFCV) uses the same kind of electric motor to turn the wheels that a battery-electric car does. But it's powered not by a large, heavy battery but by a fuel-cell stack in which pure hydrogen (H2) passes through a membrane to combine with oxygen (O2) from the air, producing the electricity that turns the wheels plus water vapor.

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