Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

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Fuel Cells

Wikipedia says, "Fuel cells are different from electrochemical cell batteries in that they consume reactant, which must be replenished, whereas batteries store electrical energy chemically in a closed system. Additionally, while the electrodes within a battery react and change as a battery is charged or discharged, a fuel cell's electrodes are catalytic and relatively stable." So fuel cells use a 'fuel' to make electricity and the fuel can be hydrogen, methanol, hydrocarbons, alcohols. oxidants including air, chlorine, and chlorine dioxide. The list of the many different types of fuel cells is extensive. The list of fuel cell vehicles is also growing. Since hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and leaves no carbon print if made from green renewable energy, Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles are the best choice at this point in time.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles

One of the particularly challenging issues with fuel cells is the temperature managment design problems of maintaining the same temperature that must be maintained throughout the cell in order to prevent destruction of the cell through thermal loading. The problem is that there hasn't been designed a fuel cell that can manage extreme temperatures. However, the moderate temperature in Hawaii poses no such problem for fuel cell vehicles.

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles could be used in Hawaii and would not have the temperature problem that occurs in hot or cold climates since the "temperatures at sea level generally range from high temperatures of 85-90 °F (29-32 °C) during the summer months to low temperatures of 65-70 °F (18-21 °C) during the winter months." Wikipedia Source. Fuel cells have not been designed yet that are durable and can operate at temperatures greater than 100 degrees Celsius and still function at sub-zero ambient temperatures. Hawaii does not pose such a temperature problem and is ideal for current fuel cell vehicles. See How Fuel Cells Work.

Fuel Cell Vehicles

According to the NRCC, "The most common fuel cell is a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell or PEMFC. PEM fuel cells are light and compact, but require a supply of hydrogen – and that is the challenge as hydrogen is not readily available to the public. So Ghosh and his team have come up with a hydrogen generator that needs no external source of hydrogen. By combining water, H2O, and specially selected electrodes, the technology is able to break the H2O into its parts, liberating the hydrogen to power the fuel cell.

2H2O(aq) → H2 + 2OH-

This new technology creates a device which generates hydrogen simply and safely, as the fuel cell requires it, without needing a complicated storage system. This technology could one day be used to power your cell phone, or keep your telephone working during a power outage, along with many other applications." According to Wikipedia, "The Sequel is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered concept car and sport utility vehicle from General Motors, employing the latest generation of HydroGen3 technology developed by Opel. The Sequel uses a drive-by-wire system. It has a range of three hundred miles, and its only emission is water. It debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show and is now being shown at the 75th international car show in Geneva, Switzerland. GM chief and chief executive Rick Wagoner suggested it will be over a decade before it goes into production. GM announced September 11, 2006 that their Sequel all-wheel drive fuel-cell vehicle will be a Chevrolet. The next-generation hydrogen car was unveiled at the Detroit auto show in 2005 and at that time was called the “GM Sequel;” the redesigned version of the crossover was unveiled by Larry Burns, GM’s vice president in charge of R&D and product planning. This vehicle can accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than ten seconds. Additionally, it provides a high level of control on bumpy terrain, snow, and ice. 42 percent more torque and quicker deceleration when braking are additional benefits of some of the new technologies used in the Sequel." According to Wikipedia, "The Hy-wire (Hydrogen drive-by-wire) is a concept car from General Motors originally introduced in January 2002[1]. The car runs on hydrogen fuel cells and uses a drive-by-wire system, meaning that the car is controlled electronically. GM asked school children to name the car, and one of them suggested "Hy-wire".

Fuel Cell Buses

The 65-passenger, low-floor FCHVBUS (fuel-cell hybrid bus), which was jointly developed by Toyota and Hino Motors Ltd., began operating to transport visitors between the Seto and Nagakute areas (approximately 4.4km apart) at EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, which opened on March 25, 2005. The FCHV-BUS2, which was used as the basis for the FCHV-BUS, was tested between August 2003 and December 2004 under actual usage conditions on regular Tokyo metropolitan bus routes. Toyota made improvements based on the results from this test, and delivered eight units of its FCHV-BUS to EXPO 2005 Aichi, Japan, promoting it as one of the transportation modes for a future hydrogen-based society. The Mercedes Benz Citaro Fuel Cell Bus can carry up to 70 passengers and it runs on compressed hydrogen. Daimler's Mercedes-Benz has been working on the hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Project since 2003 and has conducted long-term trials in various major city centres worldwide. Daimler is currently working on their second generation Citaro fuel cell bus and this is expected to be completed by mid 2009.The Global Environment Facility(GEF) and MME Brazil along with a long list of partners has developed a fuel cell bus in Brazil along with a hydrogen infrastructure including fueling stations. More info The Fuel Cell Bus Club comprises the participants of the projects CUTE, ECTOS and STEP. They operate 33 fuel cell buses - the largest fleet in the world - and hydrogen refueling infrastructures in their cities. More info You may read more about Fuel Cell Buses from Wikipedia. SunLine Transit Agency in California has the H2 Power bus, which produces virtually no emissions and was immediately put into service in December 2004, making it the first hydrogen-electric vehicle in the United States to transport customers. Hydrogen stored in tanks in the roof power the Ford engine, which, in turn, powers a generator. The generator powers the electric drive system. The H2 was sent to the Canadian province of Manitoba for cold-weather tests. It resumed SunBus service later. According to SunLine Transit Agency, "SunLine is testing advanced transportation technologies such as fuel cell vehicles and insulated pressure vessels that accommodate liquid or gaseous fuels; hydrogen generation equipment including electrolyzers, reformers, and solar systems; and distributed generation technologies such as microturbines, stationary fuel cells, and lean-burn engines...the only location in the country with multiple methods of hydrogen generation on the ground, and fuel cell and Hythane(R) vehicles in its fleet....have 25 million miles of clean fuels experience and represent a combined alternate fuels infrastructure and fleet investment of over $50 million to date." SunLine became the world’s first hydrogen generation/storage/fueling and demonstration facility built by a public transit agency that was officially christened in April 2000. Partners in this project were many and you can read the list by clicking here For more information check Sunbus. The Big Island of Hawaii uses buses which allow residents and tourists free rides around most of the island. Hawaii could take the lead in implementing hydrogen fuel cell bus technology if hydrogen was produced from renewable energy sources such as geothermal, wind, solar, waves, tidal power, OTEC, or hydroelectric. The PHB is a hydrogen bicycle, power-assisted by an electric motor that gets its electricity from a fuel cell. It is manufactured by Pearl (SPHPST.Co), unveiled at the 9th China International Exhibition on Gas Technology, Equipment and Applications in 2007. The vehicle weighs approximately 32 kg. It uses a proton-exchange membrane fuel cell to generate about 200 Watts. It can reach approximatelly 25 km/h and, on a full tank may ride a distance of 60 to 100 kilometres. The motor is a brushless motor. For more information click here. "Suzuki has announced its hydrogen motorcycle concept at Tokyo Motor Show last November, and the good news is they are ready to put this unconventional motorcycle into production. The crosscage concept motorcycle is a fuel-cell motorcycle in which a simple, compact, lightweight air-cooled fuel-cell system and a high-performance secondary battery are brought together in a way that realizes optimal power control. A fuel-cell unit from British specialist company Intelligent Energy delivers quick activation with low fuel consumption, and a lithium-ion battery combines safety with a low environmental burden. The simplicity, compactness, and lightness of these technologies not only make the crosscage environment-friendly; they also helped enable sporty styling befitting the Suzuki name." Source