HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS

Alright now, it’s time for a little tech-talk. This week we will be looking at a technology that holds plenty of promise for automobiles in the future.

            As we all are aware of, fossil fuels are finite by nature – and, therefore, they will run out at some point of time. Focusing on the industry, we people cannot imagine a life without automobiles. The freedom they provide combined with the passion they inculcate in most of us mean that they rely on them heavily. But the fossil fuel problem is very evident from the ever rising price of fuel – an issue that’s letting down economies and consumers all around the planet.

            For a long time now, companies and governments have been working on a technology that offers most of the benefits of fossil fuels, without the limitations of course. At the heart of this technology are Hydrogen Fuel Cells. What differentiates fuel cells from conventional technologies is the fact that the cells use Hydrogen for energy production. Here’s it how it goes: When Hydrogen mixes with oxygen, it produces a chemical reaction that generates energy within the cell, which is used to charge a high capacity battery that in turn powers electric motors connected to the wheels.

            Now that might sound similar to electric cars, (remember the Audi E-tron with four electric motors – one for each wheel?) but the difference is – since Hydrogen is stored onboard in a high pressure tank, it allows the fuel cell powered car to cover distances similar to a conventional powered one. Secondly, since refueling Hydrogen is almost as quick as refilling petrol, no extra time is spent replenishing the vehicle’s range. Thirdly, the by product. This is the most significant advantage of fuel cell cars over conventional ones. Combining the two elements that produce energy in the cells creates water (H2O). So, the only emissions that a fuel cell car produces is water – making it one of the most environment friendly means of transport. Fourth, perhaps one factor that is so much in favor of fuel cells, is that their efficiency hovers around the 60% mark, which is a massive jump from internal combustion engines that have an efficiency of 20 – 25% at most. This means that for the same amount of fuel used, a Fuel Cell powered car can do almost three times as much work as a traditional car.

            But, there are significant challenges before the technology can be commercially viable – the first of which is producing Hydrogen in the first place, a process that’s still in the development stage. The other challenge is to safely store Hydrogen. Unless stored in a safe, pressurized container, Hydrogen is highly volatile and could be dangerous. Third is that for Fuel Cell vehicles to work there would be a need for parallel storage and distribution network similar to the one that exists for petrol pumps. And since this would be needed on a global scale, it’s a massive task (with estimates putting the cost of this above $500 billion), which most stakeholders are reluctant to commit to.

            Multiple conglomerates have been at the forefront of Hydrogen vehicle development, with Honda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz being some of them. In fact, in Los Angeles, a pilot project has seen a few Hydrogen pumps already set up.

            Fuel Cells hold massive promise for clean, environmentally friendly motoring in future, but there’s still much work to be done before we can expect to see these machines out on our roads.

Source: Internet

-         Nova