Normal cars use Internal Combustion engines (ICE) to burn petroleum-based fuel to generate power for the car. Electric cars use batteries to power the car. They have no engine, transmission (gears), or consume any fuel. Hydrogen powered cars are sort of an electric car, but they do not use the same electric technology. It is not about electric consumption for FCV’s but electricity production. They are a type of Fuel Cell Vehicle. They are like the cross between battery powered cars and an ICE. Like an ICE, they make power using fuel from a tank, but unlike an engine, a fuel cell does not burn the fuel to make power. Instead it is fused chemically with oxygen in the air to make water. The process somewhat resembles what happens in a battery. Electricity gets released to be used to drive the car.
What are the differences between an electric powered vehicle and a hydrogen powered vehicle?
It could take hours to charge an electric battery if you do not have a fast charger. Even with a full charge, most EV’s struggle to travel the distance ICE cars can on a full tank.
This problem would not arise with the use of hydrogen powered cars as you can pump hydrogen into the vehicle like pumping fuel into an ICE car.
How safe are hydrogen cars?
Firstly, they do not need gasoline, hence diminishing the worry of explosion or fire from the gasoline. They do not need to be plugged into a socket every time and produce 0 emissions. Research says that they are safer than ICE cars. Another research involved shooting ammunition at a hydrogen gas tank which contained the cars. The goal was to understand how the hydrogen would behave under immense pressure. It turns out that the punctured tanks released the stored hydrogen so rapidly that even if it were to catch fire, the hydrogen would have left the tank avoiding explosions. Another experiment was done in which they broke the fuel pipe of an ICE car and then set it on fire. Of course, the ICE car caught fire and eventually exploded. They had also set fire to a hydrogen tank of an FCV car that did not catch fire, which shows that FCV’s are safer than ICE cars. Hydrogen tanks are even safe in the event of a collision.
Disadvantages of FCV’s:
Firstly, the main disadvantage is, ironically, hydrogen production. As of 2019, the production of hydrogen emits carbondioxide (CO2) which is the main thing that is polluting the air. On the surface, hydrogen cars have 0 emissions and are environmentally friendly but on a larger, global scale, the production of hydrogen does create CO2 as a by-product, so it isn’t the perfect solution either.
Secondly, not enough hydrogen filling stations. For this, the car manufacturers need to invest in the production, compression, and transportation of hydrogen. In addition to that, is the cost of the hydrogen. Gasoline is sold by litres whereas hydrogen is sold by kilograms. The price of one litre of gasoline is 2.65 AED approximately, but the price of one kilogram of hydrogen is 16 AED.
Only time will tell us which type of car is best for the environment and our wallets. It also depends on one’s preference and lifestyle.
– Ridhwaan Sharda, 9J