• 1 year ago

Next Gen Cars

Will you be amazed if I said you can ride your bike and drive your cars in the future without any fuel cost?

Do you think e-vehicles are going to rule the future automotive market and take a major share of passenger vehicles and civilian transportation? Sorry, you are probably wrong! Did you see Elon Musk’s recent tweet on fool cells?

Yes, there is a better alternative in the market right now! Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have been hailed as the future of transportation, offering a clean and efficient alternative to traditional gasoline-powered cars. These vehicles use hydrogen gas as their primary fuel, which is stored in a fuel tank and reacts with oxygen from the air to produce electricity through a process called electrolysis. The result is a car that produces zero emissions, making it a more environmentally friendly choice. While hydrogen fuel cell technology has been around for decades, it has only recently started to gain traction in the automotive industry. This is due in part to the increasing awareness of the environmental impact of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles and the push towards more sustainable transportation options. As the demand for clean, efficient transportation continues to grow, it is likely that we will see an increasing number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on the roads in the future. 

They are a type of zero-emission vehicle, because the only byproduct of their operation is water vapour. They provide longer driving range than battery electric vehicles, because the hydrogen fuel can be stored in a smaller and lighter fuel tank than the large batteries required for electric vehicles also refuelling is pretty quick like a traditional gasoline refill.

image: toyota-mirai-at-fueling-station credit: toyota motors usa

How do they work?

It uses hydrogen gas to generate electricity through a process called electrolysis. Hydrogen is stored in a fuel tank and is fed into a fuel cell, where it reacts with oxygen from the air to produce electricity. The world’s first hydrogen cell car was introduced way back in the 1966. In fact, it all started in 1839 with Sir William Robert Grove’s effort to produce electricity from hydrogen. 

Deeper for the geeks, compressed Hydrogen is moved down a pipe to the anode (positive terminal) in the fuel cell, on the other side Oxygen procured from air (environment) runs down another pipe to the cathode (negative terminal). The positive terminal made of platinum acts as a catalyst that helps speed up the chemical reaction. When the hydrogen atoms reach the catalyst they split into hydrogen ions (protons & electrons), the positively charged protons are attracted to the cathode. Now the free electrons left over pass through the outer circuit and power the electric motor which powers the electric motor that rotates the car’s wheels eventually arriving the negative terminal where they combine with the oxygen in the air to chemically react giving water as output. 

image: hydrogen cell working flow credit: canadian hydrogen and fuel cell association

Hydrogen can be harnessed using 

- electrolysis, 

- steam methane reforming(extracting hydrogen from natural gas) which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

- gasification, a process producing hydrogen from steaming coal. And because processes like electrolysis can be done locally, you can generate the fuel at the fuel station itself. Though the popular process of separating Hydrogen from other molecules is electrolysis, and the electricity used here is produced by burning fossil fuel or nuclear power or thermal and wind power. 

credit: canadian hydrogen and fuel cell association

Market Status

In the market today, 3 Hydrogen vehicles available

 1. Toyota Mirai, 2021 version is the cheapest of the bunch starting at $50,000 (USD)

 2. Hyundai Next, starting at $60,000 (USD)

 3. Honda Clarity, starting at $60,000 (USD)

and their general usage cost and capacity: 

 • Tank capacity: 5 - 6 kilograms

 • Hydrogen Cost: $16 - $20 (USD)

 • 400 miles per tank fill (of 6kg)

*based on the above mentioned cars that are available in market today

Upcoming Hydrogen Super car: Hyperion XP-1, comes with a range of 1000 miles and 1000HP. Claims 0-60 in 2.2 sec, top speed of 220 miles per hour

Indian market

There are currently no hydrogen fuel cell vehicles available for sale in the Indian market. Some automakers have demonstrated prototypes and there are a few expected to be released in the near future. The KPMG study mentions green hydrogen costs in India could potentially fall by half to as low as ₹160-170 per kg by 2030, bringing parity with grey hydrogen and other fossil fuels. Current green hydrogen production costs range anywhere between ₹320 and ₹330 per kilogram in India. 

Elon musk has tweeted about switching Tesla from batteries to hydrogen power in 2024, he also mentioned the first vehicle to arrive using the fuel cell will fittingly be called the ModelH. There is certainly a huge market in the future provided an efficient technique is identified to generate green hydrogen at lower cost.

Pros: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have several potential advantages over traditional gasoline-powered cars

 ▪ Fuel efficiency: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can convert fuel into energy with a high level of efficiency, resulting in a longer driving range compared to battery-electric vehicles.

 ▪ Refuelling speed: It takes only a few minutes to refuel a hydrogen vehicle, which is much faster than the hours it takes to recharge a battery-electric vehicle.

 ▪ Zero emissions: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce only water as a byproduct, making them a potentially cleaner alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles.

 ▪ Range anxiety: Because hydrogen fuel cell vehicles can travel longer distances on a single tank of fuel, drivers do not have to worry about running out of charge (a concern with battery-electric vehicles known as "range anxiety").

 ▪ Potential for renewable energy: Hydrogen can be produced using a variety of methods, including the electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. This means that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have the potential to be powered by clean, renewable energy.

Cons: Generating sufficient quantities of green hydrogen is a challenge considering the fact it needs a lot more renewable energy than is currently available. Producing climate neutral hydrogen is a very big hurdle this technology is going to face since almost all hydrogen production is using Natural gas which in the process produces a large amount of CO2. In contrast green hydrogen which is derived from renewable energy is climate neutral and the principle is not new but has, at yet, only found limited usage. 

 ▪ High cost: Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are still relatively expensive to produce compared to traditional gasoline vehicles. This means that they can be cost-prohibitive for many consumers, especially when compared to electric vehicles which have seen significant price decreases in recent years. Generating sufficient quantities of green hydrogen is a challenge!

 ▪ Limited availability: There are currently only a handful of hydrogen fueling stations available in the United States, making it difficult for hydrogen vehicle owners to find places to fill up their tanks. This lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for consumers to rely on hydrogen cars as their primary mode of transportation.

 ▪ Safety concerns: Hydrogen is a highly flammable gas, which can be a concern for some people. While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have safety measures in place to prevent accidents and leaks, there is still a risk of explosion or fire if something goes wrong.

Currently they may not be zero carbon emission but the future is bright and many believe it holds the key to limiting global warming. 

Do you think e-vehicles are going to rule the future automotive market and take a major share of passenger vehicles and civilian transportation? Sorry, you are probably wrong! Did you see Elon Musk’s recent tweet on fool cells?