Hydrogen future fuel cell cars

NOVA Fuel Cells. Available online. URL http //www.pbs.org/wgbh/ nova/sciencenow/3210/01.html. Accessed May 28, 2009. PBS airs NOVA, a series that explores a variety of science and technology topics. The companion Web site also provides a great deal of information, as in this Web page, which offers a debate about the future of hydrogen fuel cells, along with a view imder the hood of a fuel cell car. 

MW fuel-cell power plant capable of supplying power to about 4000 households. Future applications include use as the power source in environmentally clean electric vehicles. Several fuel-cell powered buses have been tested in Chicago, and by 2004 DaimlerChrysler and Ford expect to be selling passenger cars that are powered by hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells. 

Unfortunately, for the foreseeable future, hydrogen cars will almost certainly be unable to compete with alternative strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. As we saw in Chapter 6, we do not even know today whether a practical and affordable fuel cell vehicle can be built. A 2002 analysis for the doe concluded that even with optimistic assumptions about technology improvements, future fuel cell vehicles will probably cost 40 to 60 percent more than conventional vehicles.15... 

In process industry hydrogen is a very important feedstock for a large number of processes like the production of ammonia (fertiliser), various hydrogenation reactions and electricity production in gasturbines. In future hydrogen will play an even more important role because of the rise of the hydrogen based society . This becomes already visible in the fuel cell car recently taken in development. 

The design innovations in the ESX2 should be useful in future production versions. Getting a gasoline reformer to work efficiently in a production car will not be an easy task, although that would provide a path for practical fuel cell cars. DaimlerChrysler will sell the EPIC minivan and it has built several of car and bus fuel cell prototypes, starting with a hydrogen-powered internal-combustion minibus in 1975. 

The third path is one in which a rapidly developing country, such as China, whose transportation infrastructure is less developed and hence less ingrained, moves first to a hydrogen-based system. Cars may not even be the main, or initial, focus of this path. Rather, the transition may begin with fuel cell scooters and bikes. For China, with its vast coal resources, lack of domestic oil, and serious pollution concerns, this path has a strong appeal. The result could be a dominating lead in future fuel cell markets. 

In 1998 the auto industry turned from weak commitments to a solid move toward fuel cells and EVs. All the auto companies are pursuing hydrogen fuel cells in some way. But, the new cars on the road in the near future are likely to be a mix of vehicles including those with electric drive, including battery EVs, hybrids with gasoline and direct-injection diesels, turbo generators and fuel cells. 

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