The Ascent of the Fuel Cell Vehicle

A five-minute trip to the supermarket makes me cough in deep, painful shudders, as my eyes try to discern beyond the haze of smoke that settles on and beyond my city. I avoid breathing deeply, worried that doing so will expose my vital organs to the evil pollutants of an Indian, metropolitan city. I watch, with a sinking heart, as massive vehicles emit dark plumes of smoke from their unfathomable interiors; people roam about the streets with masks shielding their noses and mouths, desperate to reach their destination. As an engineer, I looked about and realized— there’s little use in ameliorating urban planning and health care facilities when the real problem is being disregarded… humanity is letting the true culprits run amok. And who are these iniquitous entities? Petrol, gasoline and diesel powered vehicles.

With flourishing times and burgeoning technologies arrive new solutions to pressing problems—one of which is the growth of the fuel cell vehicle. The conception of a vehicle powered by hydrogen has always existed, but it has never been actually put into motion. A fuel cell is essentially a device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, and produces electricity simultaneously; its major benefit is the fact that it produces energy not through combustion, but rather through a supremely clean chemical reaction [1]. This reaction takes place at the electrodes situated within the fuel cell; fuel rich in hydrogen moves towards the positive side (anode), air containing oxygen goes to the negative side (cathode), and the two react at an electrolytic barrier that divides the two electrodes. This powerful reaction is fueled by a catalyst; a catalyst is an agent that quickens a chemical reaction. The energy produced is harnessed to drive the vehicle, as well as to run other parts of the machine, such as the air conditioning and lights [2].

One of the most intriguing facets of this development is its benign effect on the environment. In a growing age of urbanization and industrialization, having an individual vehicle is paramount; therefore, it is only natural that petrol and diesel-powered vehicles have become akin to rampant diseases.  However, these release tremendous amounts of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—all of which are extremely hazardous to health, since they are naturally attracted to the lungs and can cause mutations in the human cells. Furthermore, as published by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, “numerous studies have linked elevated particle levels in the air to increased hospital admissions, emergency room visits, asthma attacks and premature deaths among those suffering from respiratory problems” [3]. Fuel cells, on the other hand, produce neither greenhouse gases nor toxins—they only produce water and heat, thereby being both ecofriendly and fuel efficient. Moreover, FCVs shine brightly through the realm of environmental sustainability—seeing that air is a ubiquitous resource and hydrogen can be produced from water, agricultural waste and biogas. For the first time, humanity may be able to sustain this generation with efficient transportation systems without compromising the future ones of their right to live easily and comfortably.

The benefits of fuel cell vehicles are rooted in the economy of a nation, in addition to being a boon to the environment and human health. Instead of being highly dependent on the Middle Eastern countries for a steady of oil at reasonable prices, other nations can now become more self-sufficient, since hydrogen can be produced independently by exploiting domestic resources, such as natural gas and water [4]. This will guarantee energy security, and make countries like China, India and the United States less susceptible to volatile prices and shocks in the economy. Indeed, fuel cell vehicles seem like the perfect solution to the environmental problems shadowing the earth; problems which are succeeded by temperature rise, global warming, and catastrophic health effects. And yet, the good must always be accompanied by the bad; any engineer would be painfully aware and almost resigned to this actuality. Fuel cell vehicles, the idealistic entities that they are, come with a myriad of challenges that we engineers are striving to combat, and hopefully overcome. 

When developing a new engineering technology, safety is always an elephantine issue. In this case, the largest area of concern is the high voltage required by these new vehicles, as opposed to the comparatively low voltage required by current cars and trucks. A typical, current car runs on 12.6 V of potential difference [5]; the automobile industry then aspired to raise the voltage to a 42 V electrical system, since a raised voltage would reduce the vehicle amperage, thereby making the wire size less bulky and more manageable [6]. However, the fuel cell vehicle motors run on a voltage nearing, if not exceeding, 350 V [7]. So, there is a high probability of the user getting electrocuted. Here, failsafe switches are crucial to ensuring the safety of the user; failure to install them would be a bane to human health, and could altogether have potentially disastrous consequences. This is a major responsibility for engineers: ensuring that the vehicle reacts in a way that doesn’t endanger the passengers or the device.

Another concern for engineers is the emission arising from fuel cell vehicles. In the engine, if complete oxidation does not take place, small emissions of hydrogen will leak out into the air. Small amounts are quite innocuous; the issue begins once many FCVs are manufactured, and larger quantities of this gas are produced. Hydrogen is a light gas that rises up into the atmosphere at extremely quick rates. All the same, even though hydrogen, being very light, disperses when in the open, a leak could lead to an accumulation of the gas in the surrounding air. Hydrogen in a combined state is present everywhere, in the form of methane and water; however, pure hydrogen, when escaped in large quantities into the air, presents perils which can be highly destructive if not contained. As published in a paper by Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute, it requires 14 times less energy to ignite hydrogen than to do so for natural gas, which is the fuel currently employed in vehicle engines [8]. If this combustible gas comes in contact with an oxidizer, it can create an explosive, deadly reaction. In fact, a small flicker of static electricity from a human body has the capacity to ignite a hydrogen explosion [9]. Moreover, what makes hydrogen leaks all the more deadly is the fact that this substance is a colorless, odorless gas; one way of mitigating potential disasters is by installing hydrogen sensors in the regions where fuel cell vehicles will be present in large numbers, such as in parking lots, tunnels or garages. This is mostly a preventive measure, in order to minimize any damage to human health and well-being.

Another method can be employed to improve the storage facilities of hydrogen in the engine of a fuel cell vehicle; in a typical tank, around 1-3% of the hydrogen is lost to the environment, resulting in a wastage of resources and potential danger [7]. So, in order to improve the storage capacities and curtail any danger to human life, liquid hydrogen present in the engine can be bound to metal hydrides in their porous form. The hydrogen is stored in this form at moderate pressure and heat; hydrogen gas can be evolved by reducing the pressure and increasing the heat applied [7]. However, even this safety measure contains restrictive drawbacks—a large amount of the metal will be required to combine with a relatively small amount of hydrogen, thereby increasing the weight of the FCV and limiting its motion and speed. However, the disadvantage presented with this measure will mostly limit the locomotive abilities of the vehicle—the security and well-being of the passengers are much more important.

Fuel cell vehicles represent an era of ecological sustainability and environmental benevolence, and have the capability to revolutionize the transportation sector as we know it. Looking at the wide range of purposes FCVs will play in the future, it is necessary that people embrace this leap in technology. Unfortunately, given their novelty, they are extremely expensive to the average consumer; however, this is a drawback we believe time will mitigate. Over the past decade, with advances in technology, costs of fuel cell systems have decreased significantly [10], and it is believed that it will eventually reach the target cost, which is much more affordable to the average commuter and consumer.

Perhaps, in a futuristic society, we will have a drastically altered but highly welcome scene meeting our eyes—a clean atmosphere, vehicles that don’t emit prodigious amounts of pollutants, people who don’t cough and shudder when inhaling on the streets. Humanity still has vast potential when it comes to the technological realm, and fuel cell vehicles—vehicles that cater to the needs of people, without compromising the state of the environment and that of the future generations--may be a culmination of that spirit.

References:

[1] "What Is a Fuel Cell?" CHFCA Clean Energy Now. Web. 26 Nov. 2015. .  (No Author Available)

[2] "How Do Fuel Cells Work?" Fuel Cell Energy. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.  . (No Author Available)

[3] "Health Effects of Diesel Exhaust." Air Toxicology and Epidemiology. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.  . (No Author Available)

[4] "Benefits and Challenges." U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 27 Nov. 2015.  . (No Author Available)

[5] "How a Battery Works." Battery Basics. Autobatteries.com. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. .  (No Author Available)

[6] Allen, Mike. "Whatever Happened to the 42-Volt Car?" Popular Mechanics, 30 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. .

[7] "Safety Issues regarding Fuel Cell Vehicles and Hydrogen Fueled Vehicles." The International Consortium for Fire Safety, Health & The Environment. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. . (No Author Available)

[8] Kenney, Ian. "What Are the Dangers of Hydrogen Fuel Cells?" Livestrong.com, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 23 Nov. 2015. .

[9] Lampton, Christopher. "What Are the Dangers of Hydrogen-powered Vehicles?" How Stuff Works. Web. 30 Nov. 2015. .

[10] "Challenges." U.S. Department of Energy. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.  . (No Author Available)