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Fuel cell vehicle
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A Fuel cell vehicle or FC vehicle (FCV) is any vehicle that uses a fuel cell to produce its on-board motive power. Fuel cells onboard the FC hydrogen vehicles create electricity using hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air.
g hydrogen in a fuel cell is nearly twice as efficient as in traditional internal combustion engines (ICE), which only have an efficiency of 15-25%.
It is also important to take losses due to fuel production, transportation, and storage into account.
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Encyclopedia
A Fuel cell vehicle or FC vehicle (FCV) is any vehicle that uses a fuel cell to produce its on-board motive power. Fuel cells onboard the FC hydrogen vehicles create electricity using hydrogen fuel and oxygen from the air.
Efficiency
Using hydrogen in a fuel cell is nearly twice as efficient as in traditional internal combustion engines (ICE), which only have an efficiency of 15-25%.
It is also important to take losses due to fuel production, transportation, and storage into account. Fuel cell vehicles running on compressed hydrogen may have a power-plant-to-wheel efficiency of 22% if the hydrogen is stored as high-pressure gas, and 17% if it is stored as liquid hydrogen. In addition to the production losses, over 70% of US' electricity, used for hydrogen production, comes from thermal power, which only has an efficiency of 33% to 48% resulting in a net increase in carbon dioxide production by using hydrogen in vehicles.
Further, the cited article underestimates the losses in the storage of hydrogen. Stored hydrogen leaks. In practice, it can be in a few cubic centimeters per liter per year in static storage. Under vibration, this increases somewhat.
Codes and standards
Fuel cell vehicle is a classification in FC Hydrogen codes and standards and fuel cell codes and standards other main standards are Stationary fuel cell applications and Portable fuel cell applications.
Applications
Hybrid fuel combustion vehicle
To promote the demandside for hydrogen, and so creating a hydrogen infrastructure (to get more hydrogen filling stations), Hybrid fuel combustion vehicles running on hydrogen or another fuel are introduced.
All fuel cells are made up of three parts: an electrolyte, an anode and a cathode. , US Department of Energy, Retrieved on: 2008-11-03.
Fuel cells function similarly to a conventional battery, however they do need to be replaced or recharged.
Different types of fuel cells include Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells, Phosphoric Acid Fuel Cells, Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, and Regenerative Fuel Cells.
, US Department of Energy, Retrieved on: 2008-11-03.
A vehicle fueled with pure hydrogen emits no pollutants, only water and heat. , Fuel Economy, Retrieved on: 2008-11-03.
Because highway vehicles currently produce about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, a fuel cell powered transportation system would greatly have a considerable effect on national emissions levels of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. , US Department of Energy, Retrieved on: 2008-11-03.
However, the support for the idea of a fuel cell vehicle as a viable option for the replacement of the internal combustion engine has largely been replaced by other alternatives. This is due to the complexity of using hydrogen gas; when created, fossil fuels are often used with water to create steam, but the byproduct is carbon dioxide.
See also
External links
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