Hydrogen-Fueled Vehicles

If one is looking for an alternative to carbon-emitting vehicles in order to combat climate change, then look no further—hydrogen fueled vehicles are the answer. Luckily, hydrogen is hailed as a non-polluting synthetic fuel that could replace oil, especially for transportation. The technology to make this a reality has been a long time coming, but the first commercial vehicles might now only be a few years away. Schlapbach’s article first discusses the pros and cons of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Pros: Hydrogen is carbon-free, non-toxic, and its thermal or electrochemical combustion with oxygen yields nothing but energy and water. Another advantage is that the main source of hydrogen is water, which is essentially an unlimited resource. Cons: Hydrogen is a gas at room temperature, so it takes up an impractically large amount of space, and it is an energy carrier, not an energy source. Next, it is not naturally available in sufficient quantities for widespread use, and must therefore be made by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. Splitting requires energy, whether in the form of electricity, light, heat, or chemicals. But most of that energy is recovered when hydrogen is combusted. After discussing the pros and cons, the author dispels the dangerously-explosive hydrogen myth, using the Hindenburg example. In fact, safety studies performed at the University of Miami clearly demonstrate that hydrogen-fueled cars pose less of a fire risk than petrol-fueled vehicles. In the middle of the article, the author discusses the ways in which hydrogen can be widely used as a fuel, pertaining to economics and storage systems. Then, going into technical matters, the author elucidates the mechanics of hydrogen storage, hydride performance, and hydrogen absorption by physisorption and chemisorption. But even more important, for hydrogen-fueled vehicles to be economically successful, a trend towards lightweight vehicles would have to kick-start the market. Though, at present, customers show a weak preference for lightweight vehicles, this preference can be reversed by fuel economy, car prices, and new safety devices that not only give drivers warnings, but also act directly on the car, which should decrease the probability of accidents, reducing the need for heavy protection in vehicles. Ending on a hopeful note, hydrogen-powered buses in Germany and Japan have already been successful, and about 50 prototype cars—both thermal combustion and fuel-cell types—have so far been tested with good results. One shouldn’t be surprised to see hydrogen cars for sale in 5 years.