Hydrogen – H2 and Fuel Cell Vehicles

Hydrogen fuel is being tested for use in passenger vehicles to power both electric motors as well as well as to be burned within internal combustion engines.

Hydrogen’s main appeal is that it is an environmentally friendly fuel source that can be produced domestically and so will reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. When compared to typical cars, hydrogen fuel cells are much more efficient than internal combustion engines when based on the amount of energy used per pound of fuel as well as the level of fuel utilized versus the level of fuel wasted to produce the energy.

Currently, there are three large limitations to the use of hydrogen power on the large scale in cars and trucks. They are that hydrogen is expensive and energy intensive to manufacture, that there are a very limited number of distribution facilities available, mainly in California and that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are very expensive to purchase.

Currently, it is difficult to store a large enough amount of hydrogen in a typical vehicle to allow it to travel as far as a gasoline or diesel vehicle. This is because hydrogen contains much less energy per gallon compared to oil and because hydrogen is a very diffuse gas, it needs to be highly condensed pressurized tanks.

A common rumor, often related to stories of the Hindenburg dirigible being destroyed in a raging fire, is that hydrogen is too dangerous to use in our cars. Ultimately, we must remember that we store dozens of gallons of highly flammable gasoline underneath our cars every day. Automakers will produce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that are as safe, or safer, than the gas or diesel powered cars on the road today.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles use an on board electric motor and create their own electricity through an in-car chemical process using hydrogen fuel from the hydrogen fuel cell and oxygen from the ambient air.

It is possible to power the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with hydrogen-rich fuels instead of pure hydrogen. These hydrogen-rich fuels include methanol, natural-gas and gasoline, and must first pass through an on board reformer in order to be converted into hydrogen. The reformer extracts the hydrogen from the hydrogen-rich fuels to power the vehicle, however, there are some side effects to passing hydrogen rich fuels through an reformer, such as carbon dioxide emissions, decreased fuel cell efficiency and added complexity to the fuel cell vehicle system.

Alternative Fuels

Alternative automobile fuels are those that originate from a source other than petroleum. Three of the largest draws to alternative fuels are that they are often produced domestically, decreasing reliance on foreign markets, they are often renewable, eliminating the pressure of decreasing oil supplies paired with increasing oil demand on an international level and they often produce less emissions than gasoline, which is very critical in an age where global warming’s impact is being experienced each day.

Some current viable alternative fuel sources include:

Ethanol, also known as E85, is a domestically produced fuel that comes from harvested corn and other crops that produces far less emissions than burning gasoline.

Bio-diesel comes from refined vegetable oil and animal fats, is widely abundant and produces fewer emissions than burning gasoline.

Natural gas is a naturally existing fuel that when burned produces fewer air pollutants and greenhouse gases when compared to gasoline.

Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas, is a fossil fuel which is domestically available in great abundance that when burned produces fewer air pollutants and greenhouse gases when compared to gasoline.

Hydrogen is a fuel source that can be produced domestically from fossil fuels, nuclear power or renewable power that when burned produces no air pollutants or greenhouse gases when compared to gasoline.

Possible future alternative fuel sources also include compressed air, solar power, chemically stored electricity, methanol and biomass.

Alternative Fuel Price Report