Make Hydrogen Happen
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You may have heard that hydrogen is the most abundant element in our universe…but not here on Earth.
Water covers roughly 70% of the surface of our planet — and hydrogen combined with oxygen makes up water, you can say we have a lot of it available to use.
Hydrogen as an energy source for transportation vehicles – specifically automobiles – is completely sustainable. Imagine using hydrogen as the source of energy to generate the electricity to make your car’s engine work. You got it… instead of filling up your tank with gasoline or plugging your battery electric vehicle (BEV) into an electrical outlet, you would simply pump hydrogen into the fuel cell tank to power the electric motor.
The only emission from a hydrogen-based FCEV (fuel cell electric vehicle) is water vapor.
An FCEV is like an EV in many ways but different in a few striking others. Take a look at the two images below from the US Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center. Notice the FCEV (on the left) is nearly identical to the all-electric vehicle on the right with two striking differences.
The difference is subtle.
Visit the US Dept. of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center to read How Do Fuel Cell Vehicles Work Using Hydrogen
Yes…and maybe.
Both FCEVs and BEVs are better than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) which burn fossil fuel to produce energy. Not only is this dirty for the environment but eventually all fossil fuel on earth will be depleted (see the post – “When will the oil end” about this fact).
As zero-carbon emissions options both FECV and BEV are infinitely more sustainable than fossil fuels.
Now for the flip side.
The energy that powers FCEVs (hydrogen) and BEVs (AC/DC electricity) can both be produced from dirty and/or clean sources. In the US a large portion of electric generation is produced from dirty sources – coal and the less dirty fossil fuel – natural gas. While the cleanest sources of electricity (hydroelectric, solar, wind, and nuclear) combined account for a much smaller portion of generation nationally. See the electricity generation mix graph from the US Energy Information Administration (graphic) to explain further how this will change in the coming decades.
Another reason:
Inside almost every battery, whether for car, laptop, or cellphone up to large-scale utility-grade backup power systems, batteries are made of lithium. This exhaustible raw metal requires a lot of energy to mine and even more to convert into usable materials.
There are few sources of lithium on earth and the global supply shrinks as millions of devices come online with almost no large-scale recycling possible. BEVs require significant amounts of lithium for the extensive charging packs for fuel. FCEVs need far fewer battery packs since they are only needed to power on-board electronics and for demand acceleration; FCEV batteries also are charged from internal energy generated as part of the normal braking process.
