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Hydrogen power car

Many automakers are looking for alternative ways to power cars and other vehicles as governments strive to achieve pledges to cut carbon emissions and limit the usage of fossil fuels. This includes developing technologies for electric vehicles as well as vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel cells.

HOW DO HYDROGEN CARS WORK?

Hydrogen automobiles have an electric motor that runs on hydrogen fuel cells, which allow hydrogen to react with oxygen to produce energy and water vapour chemically.

The engine is powered by electricity, while the water vapour is harmlessly released into the atmosphere.

Fuel cell electric vehicles, commonly known as hydrogen fuel cell automobiles, are refuelled with hydrogen at particular service stations with pressurised natural gas tanks.

PROS OF HYDROGEN CARS:

Hydrogen automobiles have many of the same advantages as electric cars, including the absence of polluting emissions.

While producing hydrogen gas is a complicated process, it is the most plentiful element in the universe, making it a renewable fuel source.

Hydrogen automobiles are also faster to refill than electric cars, and they have far longer ranges. Renault’s Kangoo Z.E. Hydrogen and Master Z.E. Hydrogen, for example, include range extender fuel cells that provide over 350 kilometres of range and charge periods of only 5-10 minutes.

CONS OF HYDROGEN CARS:

The absence of infrastructure to facilitate the use of hydrogen cars is the primary issue. Due to a scarcity of refuelling facilities, hydrogen vehicles are currently not a practical alternative for many people. However, hydrogen infrastructure is thought to be simple to scale up, so this problem could be solved with the right investment and support.

The expense of hydrogen electricity is another major issue. Hydrogen-powered vehicles are not inexpensive, and refuelling costs vary widely between countries. In the United States, for example, the cost of refuelling a hydrogen-powered car is four times that of recharging an electric car. However, with the cost of hydrogen fuel cells plummeting by more than 80% in recent years, this appears to be changing as well.

CAN HYDROGEN CARS REPLACE ELECTRIC CARS?

Battery electric vehicles appear to have the upper hand against hydrogen fuel cell vehicles at the moment, despite the fact that hydrogen as a technology is still in its infancy.

However, with enough time and effort, hydrogen could catch up to electric vehicles. This will, however, necessitate infrastructural investments to accommodate hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Given this investment and future advancements aimed at lowering the cost of hydrogen cars, they have a good chance of challenging electric cars as the future of clean transportation.

However, the real answer may be found in a shared environment in which both modes of transportation are considered in future transportation policy. Of course, both are less polluting than gasoline or diesel and should be included in a green revolution.