The car of the future is here today. Of course, you can't buy one yet; but if you live in California you can lease one. It doesn't use gasoline and it doesn't pollute the air. In fact, it produces steam instead of exhaust. So what's the mystery fuel? Hydrogen -- the simplest and most abundant element in the universe. And some people think that in 20 to 30 years, we'll all be driving these hydrogen-powered, fuel-efficient vehicles.
What is a fuel cell electric vehicle?
Fuel cell electric vehicles use a completely different propulsion system than conventional vehicles, which can be two to three times more efficient. Unlike conventional vehicles, they produce no harmful exhaust emissions. Other benefits include increasing U.S. energy security and strengthening the economy.
Fuel cell electric vehicles are fueled with pure hydrogen gas stored directly on the vehicle. Fuel cell electric vehicles fueled with pure hydrogen emit no pollutants, only water and heat. These vehicles have the capability to refuel in as little as three minutes and can achieve a range of more than 300 miles on a single tank.
Fuel cell vehicles can be equipped with other advanced technologies to increase efficiency, such as regenerative braking systems, which capture the energy lost during braking and store it in a battery. These vehicles are nearing commercial readiness and many major auto original equipment manufacturers have announced plans to begin selling and leasing vehicles to the public starting in 2014.
Fuel cell vehicles look like conventional vehicles from the outside,but inside they contain technologically advanced components not found on today;s vehicles.The most obvious difference is the fuel stack that converts hydrogen gas stored on board with oxygen from the air into electricity to drive the electric motor that propels the vehicle. The major components of a typical Fuel Cell Vehicle are illustrated below:
Fuel cell vehicles look like conventional vehicles from the outside,but inside they contain technologically advanced components not found on today;s vehicles.The most obvious difference is the fuel stack that converts hydrogen gas stored on board with oxygen from the air into electricity to drive the electric motor that propels the vehicle. The major components of a typical Fuel Cell Vehicle are illustrated below:
How Fuel Cell Vehicles Work?
Like battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles use electricity to power a motor located near the vehicle's wheels. In contrast to other electric vehicles, fuel cell vehicles produce their primary electricity using a fuel cell powered by hydrogen, rather than a battery. During the vehicle design process, the vehicle manufacturer controls the power of the vehicle by changing the fuel cell size and controls the amount of energy stored on board by changing the fuel tank size. This is different than a battery electric vehicle where the amount of power and energy available are both closely tied to the battery size.
The most common type of fuel cell for vehicle applications is the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. In a PEM fuel cell, an electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode). Hydrogen is introduced to the anode and oxygen (usually from air) to the cathode. The hydrogen molecules break apart into protons and electrons because of an electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell catalyst. Protons, travel through the membrane to the cathode.The electrons are forced to travel through an external circuit to perform work (providing power to the car) then recombine with the protons on the cathode side, where the protons, electrons, and oxygen molecules combine to form water.
Although hydrogen-powered cars have a science fiction quality to them, the idea isn't really new. Actually, the technology for using hydrogen to generate power has been around since the first part of the 19th century -- that's longer than cars have been around. What's new is that you might actually see a hydrogen-powered car on the road, with steam coming out of its exhaust pipe instead of foul-smelling gases. Several hydrogen cars are now in existence, but most of them are concept cars. These Eco-friendly driving machines include the Chevrolet Equinox, the BMW 745h and the one that's currently available for lease in California, the Honda FCX.
Hydrogen Fuel. (n.d.). Hydrogen Fuel. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hydrogen.shtml
Hydrogen Fuel. (n.d.). Hydrogen Fuel. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hydrogen.shtml
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