Hydrogen gas is consumed by a pollution-free chemical reaction in a fuel cell. This fuel cell simply combines hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms chemically to produce electricity, water is the waste product. Hydrogen gas is the most plentiful element in the universe, constituting about 93% of all atoms. It is found in plain water, fossil fuels, and all of the plants and animals. Hydrogen has frequently been called the ideal fuel. Its major reserve on earth is infinite. The use of hydrogen is well-matched with nature, rather than invasive. We can never run out of hydrogen.
Hydrogen is obtained from water by the method of electrolysis, or splitting the water molecules using electricity. We cannot forget the outside effects of getting the electricity from the power plants. Many of the power plants across the country produce electricity to charge batteries or to make hydrogen. In some cases, where electricity comes out of water-powered generators, this is not a problem, and hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered vehicles can be truly emission free and environmentally friendly.
Chevrolet’s Fuel Cell Vehicle
The fuel cells are compatible with really cold winters. There are a lot of types of fuel cells, but the most suitable for the cars the proton-exchange membrane fuel cell. Some of its major features include the ability to start rapidly and to run at moderate temperatures (150° instead of 1,900°, like in some other types of fuel cells. This helps because it does not need to heat up very much in order to run. The Proton-Exchange Membrane fuel cell is small and light; a very big advantage for cars. Also, its utmost efficiency of 60% (the energy delivered from the hydrogen to motor engine as electricity) is about three times greater than that of the efficiency of internal combustion engines. Majority of the energy in combustion is lost as heat and friction before it even pushes down the pistons.
Honda FCX Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle
The variety of fuel cell powered vehicles is not limited to batteries, but by the amount of fuel that is stored in the storage tank. The most recent development in the hydrogen storage technology has come with "carbon-adsorption" systems. These are refrigerated and pressurized containers that can hold up huge amounts of hydrogen. Calculations estimate that over 28 liters of hydrogen gas could be stored up with a single gram of this newly found technology. This allows a range of more than 4,000 miles from a single full tank. These tanks can weigh less than 200 lbs, and can occupy about half the space used by old gasoline tanks and could be refueled in 5 minutes. The carbon adsorption tanks will also work well in very cold winters, as the process improves very much as the temperature starts to decreases. This container could easily become the storage of choice if improvements, advancements, and research continue. Even if nothing came up from these in the future developments, the current variety for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is comparable to that of a gasoline internal combustion engine.
Are you happy right now with your living costs? I mean genuinely? Unless you’ve got money to burn, it’s plain to see that the rising cost of fuel is hurting your wallet more than anything else. By building a hydrogen conversion kit for your car you will save money, you won’t depend on gas and also become environmental friendly. Click here to learn more about making a hydrogen conversion kit at home!
