How Hydrogen Fuel Cells can Transform Automobile Industry !!!

But there’s always a question in mind how does it work? What are its pros and cons? Is this harmful to nature? 

Less pollution- less noise. Firstly, a hydrogen engine is also known as a fuel cell electric vehicle or FCEV. 

How does Hydrogen Engine work?

At first, we have to know the difference between hydrogen engines and electric vehicles. The big difference between hydrogen vs electric cars is that EVs have an electric motor powered by a built-in battery charged by an external source. A hydrogen-powered engine uses a fuel cell to produce energy. 

In the fuel cell, a process known as reverse electrolysis occurs in which hydrogen reacts to oxygen in a fuel car. The hydrogen comes from one or more tanks built-in FCEV, while oxygen comes from the air. This reaction takes place by heat and water, which is emitted through water vapour.

The electricity generated in the fuel cell depends upon two ways: it either depends on flows to the electric motors and powers or charges a battery that stores energy. This, also known as Peak Power Battery, is generally lighter than fully e-vehicles.

Pros and Cons

The pros and cons are with two perspectives: the user and the environment.

Advantages:  

• No engine noise and lively start; it feels similar to driving electric vehicles.
• Another advantage is quick battery charging. Depending upon the charging station, it takes up to 30 minutes or several hours to full charge. On the other hand, for users, this brings availability and flexibility.
• For the time being, hydro-fuel cars still have a more extended range than E-Vehicle.
• The range of fuel cell vehicles is not dependent on the outside temperature.

Disadvantages:

• There is a lack of fuel stations for hydrogen cells.
• There is the sparsity of refueling hydrogen cells.

How much does it cost and why?

As there are shallow fuel stations, the demands are low, which are expensive to buy. The few models of fuel cell vehicles already available on the market cost around $80,000 for a mid- or upper-mid-range vehicle. That’s almost twice as much as comparable fully electric or hybrid vehicles. 

The production of cars is less, and hence it needs platinum, which acts as a catalyst during power generation. The amount of platinum required for vehicle fuel cells has already been significantly reduced.

Another reason for the high purchase range is that it tends to be higher as hydrogen tanks take a lot of space. Operating costs also play an essential role in the cost-effectiveness and acceptance of propulsion technology.

The cost per mile of running hydrogen is currently almost twice as high as that of battery-powered vehicles charged at home.

How environmentally friendly and sustainable is hydrogen fuel cell technology?

A car that uses renewable energy and produces no harmful emissions would be great for the environment. The exhaust gas from a hydro-engine consists of pure water vapour. Therefore, hydrogen fuel cell technology is locally emission-free, which means it keeps the air clean in cities. 

It requires electrical energy, and this electrical energy is used to break water down into its constituent elements, hydrogen, and oxygen, via electrolysis. Hydrogen production has a neutral carbon footprint if the electricity used comes from renewable energy sources.  

However, hydrogen can be produced when there is an oversupply of electricity from renewable energy sources when the wind or solar energy currently produced is not otherwise used. The potential for this is vast.   

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