[Auto-Moto] Hydrogen car: operation, advantages, problems

[Jeenyuhs]

Even if it is only in its infancy, hydrogen remains one of the most promising alternatives for the future, driving without emissions and with truly renewable energy.

Hydrogen is an element everywhere around us and in that sense, it is probably the source of the best renewable energy possible. It does not produce CO2 or pollutants when it is used to power a fuel cell, a real small electrical plant embedded in the vehicle, which creates an oxidation reaction with oxygen, generating a current that powers an engine electric. The only rejection of this reaction, water! Everything would be perfect if, to be transformed into H2 fuel stored under very high pressure in on-board tanks (700 bar for a full tank carried out in 5 minutes and 650 kilometers of range for the Toyota Mirai), hydrogen did not require a great deal of energy. amount of energy. And depending on the source of this energy, the carbon footprint of hydrogen is more or less virtuous ... Today, it is mainly generated in a process using good old fossil fuels, the reforming of methane gas or the gasification of organic materials.

 

 

Suffice to say that the picture is a bit spoiled. It is otherwise more virtuous if its production is the product of the electrolysis of water to separate its two primary elements, especially if it is renewable electricity (wind or solar in particular ...). And it's even better if the production is local, avoiding truck transport which would add avoidable CO2 production. The Lhyfe company will soon inaugurate a first industrial-scale renewable hydrogen production site in Vendée.
Hydrogen is also a complex fuel to use and it remains very expensive, which is one of the reasons why it remains very confidential, used mainly by professional fleets. The vehicle supply is also very limited, with two models currently on the market, the Toyota Mirai and the Hyndai Nexo, both very expensive. Many manufacturers are working on their own versions, including Stellantis, which will launch a utility, the Peugeot e-Expert Hydrogen, or BMW which announces small series next year. Honda, Mercedes, Land Rover and Renault are also in the ranks.

 

To date, it is mainly professional fleets that, in France, use fuel cell cars, such as Hype taxis or Air Liquide vehicles, which produces hydrogen H2 fuel. They enjoy a comfortable range and full speed. But the prices at the purchase (nearly € 70,000 for the Toyota Mirai) and at the pump with around ten euros per kilo (or around fifty euros a full tank) remain very dissuasive for individuals. The Toyota Mirai is a large sedan of almost 5m which houses three ultra-reinforced carbon fiber tanks, a bit large for our roads.

In the future, with better adapted models at more affordable prices and an advanced mesh distribution network, we can imagine a very broad user profile, since hydrogen can solve both emissions issues, autonomy and rapidity of refueling. What to overshadow the electric models carrying heavy and expensive batteries with more limited autonomy and necessarily longer charging. In addition, questions of manufacturing and then recycling the batteries are avoided here. But the forecasts are still more favorable to date for heavy transport, utility and public transport, even trains and boats. As for passenger cars, according to figures from the PFA (automotive and mobility sector), the most optimistic scenario for the 2040s limits the place of hydrogen to 6% market share in Europe.

 

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