Hydrogen Fuel as a Clean Alternative to Gasoline in Transportation Will Clark
Abstract: Carbon emissions from the transportation industry are a serious global concern. While electric cars are a potential solution, current limitations in range and charge time need to be improved. Hydrogen fuel could fix some of the flaws of electric cars. Hydrogen as a fuel source has been considered a replacement for gasoline due to the benign nature of water emissions. This paper evaluates the two different methods of harnessing hydrogen fuel, the chemistry of each method, and the overall viability of hydrogen fuel. Why hydrogen fuel is being researched: Gasoline from transportation contributes to roughly 14% of global carbon emissions.12 The electric vehicle (EV) push in the transportation industry to reduced CO2 emissions from internal combustion is widespread, but electric cars are not perfect. A long-range 2021 Tesla Model 3 has an estimated range of 315 miles. Recharge time for the Tesla Model 3 at a supercharging station, which provides 250 kW of maximum draw, is roughly 32 minutes to reach 80% capacity and double that to reach 100% capacity1. These factors make EV’s inconvenient on road trips and difficult to properly implement in the industrial and transportation sectors. Hydrogen fuel cells have been considered as an alternative, due to their shorter refueling times and higher range. There are currently two methods used for Hydrogen fuel.
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Hydrogen fuel cells in EV’s: One method of harnessing hydrogen energy is through hydrogen fuel cells. Hydrogen is pumped out of a tank into a fuel cell, where a platinum catalyst on the anode side separates hydrogen into protons and electrons. This process generates an electrical current while only emitting water and unused oxygen, which is needed to complete the reaction. (see Figure 1)
Figure 1: a basic hydrogen fuel cell generating electricity 3 Platinum is expensive; however, that can be sidestepped with Molten Carbonate Fuel Cells (MCFC), which is the most complex fuel cell reaction available commercially. (See Figure 2 below.)
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