In order for us to be able to compare the two most popular options for alternative vehicle propulsion systems (Hydrogen and Electric), we need to understand The Hydrogen Fuel cell a little better.
First off, in order for the Hydrogen Fuel cell to work properly, one would need a pure form of Hydrogen gas (I.E. carbon-free), oxygen which can be derived from the air, and a catalyst for the reaction in order to create electricity, which in turn propels the car. So basically it’s a mini power factory generating electricity derived from Hydrogen which is stored in high-pressure tanks on the vehicle (that’s a scary topic all it’s own , but I guess we ARE comfortable with flammable/toxic petrol in our cars, so whatever!) The only “waste” would be water. However, even under tremendous pressure, prototype hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have a range of about 100 miles. The popular theory that one could extract Hydrogen from water stored in tanks on the vehicle through electrolysis is far too expensive, inefficient and impractical to implement anytime in the near future. A slightly different option may be to use a large on-board reformer that would pull hydrogen out of a fuel such as methanol, but you would still be left with toxic pollutants including CO2, and the demand for whichever fuel is required would rise steeply, which would defeat the purpose.
With all that in mind, you may or may not know that car manufacturers are anything between 10 to 25 years away from seeing mass-market hydrogen-powered vehicles, since the technology is still a way off. And what of infrastructure? Well, you’d basically have to convert every single petrol station into a Hydrogen station - that’s a HUGE project, and a LOT of money! It would take a long time to replace the existing infrastructure with a hydrogen manufacturing, distribution and fueling infrastructure , and involves many risks, expenses and by-products we may even still be unaware of. On the other hand, a battery powered electric vehicle uses an infrastructure that is already available in every modern country known to man: you household’s electricity supply.
You may think “OK, 10-25 years, plus maybe another 10 years to fully replace the infrastructure. No big deal, we can wait.” I beg to differ! What of our “global warming issue?” But more practically, let’s look at our oil supply issue. Ex CEO of Total, one of the major global oil companies, predicted that oil output would peak around 2020. The Current CEO says that 100 million barrels per day production is “in my view, an optimistic case.” Here’s where the crisis lies: calculations based on the current global trends (for example, 15% per annum growth in Chinese demand on for oil) suggests that 140 million barrels per day would be needed by 2030. I think the figures speak for themselves - roughly translating to global economic depression long before 2030!
The bottom line is that EV’s are by far the most suitable substitute available to us right now, both economically and for the health of the Earth. I don’t necessarily rule out that a technology of tomorrow may come about which proves otherwise, but for now pie-in-the-sky wishful thinking isn’t helping the situation! EV technology is available today, and constantly improving, allowing for the transition from conventional vehicles to EV’s to be a relatively painless process, and as mentioned earlier, the infrastructure basically already exists. You may feel that my position on this is biased, but I challenge you to find facts that prove me wrong!
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November 22nd, 2007 at 5:58 am
It is likely that I just don’t understand, but isn’t Hydrogen just a battery? And shouldn’t it be compared to supercapacitors and Lithium Ion and other forms of energy storage?
I don’t believe anyone is seriously talking about “mining” Hydrogen, so it is just a way of storing the same old fuel in a way where the carbon emissions can be sequestered in centralized facilities with the actual point of use being mobile and carbon-free.
Compare electric motors to internal combustion or fuel cell, but don’t mix apples and oranges. Hydrogen is just a battery (as is Corn Ethanol, BTW), and it should be evaluated against other forms of mobile power:
1. How efficiently can it be created?
2. How much of the original energy source is actually converted into propulsion?
3. How much does it cost to store per unit of propulsion?
4. How much pollutants are created in its production and its conversion into propulsion?
5. What is the ongoing maintenance regimen/cost for the onboard mechanisms for transferring the energy into propulsion?
6. What are the implications on speed, range, capacity?
7. What is the toxicity of the systems components at the end of life (where do you throw the parts away and how poisonous are they?)
There are probably more, but I think you get my point. The Hydrogen initiative is a way to continue fossil fuel dependence. Hydrogen is not a source of energy, just a storage mechanism.
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:01 pm
Hi Matthew. I understand your confusion, let me explain. The Hydrogen Fuel Cell is, in essence like you describe - a type of “battery” where a chemical reaction forces electrons from a cathode to an anode, and consumes a fuel at the anode, which would need to be replenished.
A hydrogen Vehicle, however, is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel power. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy either through combustion (the hydrogen is burned in engines in fundamentally the same method as traditional gasoline cars) or through a fuel-cell conversion, where hydrogen is reacted with oxygen to produce water and electricity. The electricity is used to power an electric motor, and water is your “waste” product.
So, in answer to your question, yes they actually are seriously talking about “mining” hydrogen, and we are comparing apples with apples, if you consider we’re simply comparing a combustion-style vehicle vs. an electrically-charged vehicle, either of which a hydrogen car could be, although neither option is particularly viable at this point, as explained in the post.
If you like, check out these Wiki Encyclopaedia entries for clarity:
Hydrogen Fuel Cell (Battery): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell
Hydrogen Car: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_vehicle
Hope I’ve helped to clarify
March 12th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
These are the top technologies as far as the future is concerned. I’ve been able to learn that they work even better than most of us realize, and the future looks strong. Today I’m leaning towards the EV mentioned in the article about UPS. There’s nothing to not like about this stuff.
March 31st, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Efficiency coupled with Better outlook- ZAP is the name !
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I’ve heard of the electric vehicles UPS is using, they’re ZAP vehicles.
Zero Air Polution thats the initials. I think they’re great, something like this helps in many ways,
saving time, gas and money!!!
Not to mention helping the economy and its deficit attributed to imported oil.
July 7th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Given the ERoI of Hydrogen it’d easy to see why the usual suspect oil companies are the ones pushing it as an option to fight to stay in the game, it’s a joke, let them die and society evolve .
As for batteries :
http://www.solartaxi.com/technology/zebra-battery/