Hydrogen as a Transport Fuel: The Key to Reducing UK Oil Dependence? Speaker: Prof. Kevin Kendall (Birmingham University, School of Chemical Engineering) Professor Kevin Kendall has been researching hydrogen and fuel cells for 30 years. He was responsible for the first hydrogen filling station in England, which has fuelled hydrogen vehicles running on the Birmingham University campus since 2008. But what is the full potential of hydrogen as a transport fuel? When can we expect affordable mass production of fuel cell vehicles to occur? How can large quantities of hydrogen be produced cleanly? Prof. Kendall will address these issues and take questions from the floor.

1. HYDROGEN CARS
Kevin Kendall & Iain Staffell
Chemical Engineering
University of Birmingham
k.kendall@bham.ac.uk

2. SUSTAINABILITY PROBLEM
• Transport takes about 30% of our energy
planes, ships, trucks, cars etc
• All of it is fossil fuel; carbon problem
• Half of this is our cars
WE NEED TO TAKE PERSONAL ACTION

3. UK OIL AND GAS SUPPLY AND
DEMAND

4. CARS CAUSE DEATH
• Approx 8,500 people die in UK as a
result of particulate emissions from
vehicles
• Every 10 µg/m3 PM10 =1% increase
mortality (all cause)
[COMEAP Prof Jon Ayres]

5. ANSWER: ELECTRIC CARS
• Are electric cars better?
• CABLED demonstration project
• Early indicative results
• Solve problems with hydrogen hybrid
NEEDS ACTION IN BIRMINGHAM

6. Well to Wheel Approach for Fossil Fuels
from Refinement
to Distribution
to Car

7. Well to Wheel Approach for Electricity
from Generation
via Transmission
to Car and Distribution

8. Comparison of Well to Wheel Efficiency
Approximate differences in efficiency
100 85 ICV
20
45 35
50
100 EV

9. Possible New Generation
Wind Off-shore wind Wave Solar Nuclear

10. ONE SOLUTION
1.4 kW
Feed in tariff 40p/unit
Save £500/year
Cost £7000
Return 8%

11. 25 delivered 12 Dec 2009

12. CABLED – Coventry And Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrator
•Consortium of 13 organisations
•Arup as Project Managers
•6 vehicle manufacturers
•E.ON – electricity supplier
•Birmingham City Council
•Coventry City Council
•3 universities
• Aston
• Birmingham
• Coventry
•£7.5 M subsidy from TSB & AWM

13. RESULT
Nominal Range 80 miles
True range 56 miles
Worst 30 miles
Average trip 20 miles

14. PROBLEMS OF BATTERY CARS
• Low range
a problem
• Too long to charge up
makes life difficult
• No charging points
real pain
• Cycle life – not known
50 cycles no problem

15. HYDROGEN HYBRID CAR
• Hydrogen gives energy storage
• Microcab- fuel cell recharges battery
• Smaller battery

16. BENEFITS OF HYBRID FC vehicle
1. Small fuel cell
2. Lighter + cheaper batteries
3. No deep discharge ; long life
4. Fast refuel
Economic, Low mass,
Long life, Rapid refuel

17. Fuel cell hybrid car 2005
£50k prototype vs £4M for GM

18. MICROCAB & HYDROGEN STATION

20. Mail Run
• Mail Run test
Mail van movie
Real operators
• Mail run operations
• Improve system efficiency
• Single vehicle approval
• Component improvements
• Larger fuel cell- Loughborough

21. RESULTS
• Combined 3,000km travelled
(approx. 3,000 trips around campus)
• Racked up 5,000 hours operational time
(>2,000 in the leading vehicle)
• Over 120 refuelling events
(58kg of hydrogen transferred with no incidents)

22. Tank to wheel efficiency
31 MJ 18 MJ traction
42 MJ 28 MJ
38 MJ @ 48V
@ 25-30V
100 MJ
Hydrogen
Motor
losses
(37%)
Battery
charging
DC converter (10%)
losses
(20%)
Power for
auxiliary
equipment
(9%)
Fuel cell losses (58%)

23. Proposed Microcab Improvements
Voltage based • Ensure batteries are left at high SOC
• Cut off fuel cell before inefficiency creeps in
FC shut-off • Cost: £10
• Increase top speed to 40 mph
Upgrade motor • Efficiency 63% -> 88%
• Cost: £2,000 for 10 kW
• More storage / less weight (90 Wh/kg)
Li-ion batteries • Greater charge/discharge efficiency
• Cost: £2,500 for 5 kWh
• 2 fuel cells in series
Novel FC / DCDC
• No DC converters?
configurations
• Cost: £3000

24. So, what does all this mean?
• How does the Microcab compare with other
hydrogen vehicles?
• How do these compare with today’s cars?

25. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

26. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

27. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

28. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

29. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

30. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m Honda Clarity 2008
u
Karls 1.0
n Kordesch
o 1970
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

31. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

32. Fuel economy of major FCVs
2.5
Average new car: 30 mpgUS
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
Toyota Prius: 50 mpgUS
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F Hypercar: 100 mpgUS
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

33. Fuel economy of UK prototypes
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

34. Fuel economy of UK prototypes
2.5
2.0
)
m
k
/
J
M
( 1.5
n
o
i
t
p
m
u
s 1.0
n
o
c
l
e
u
F 100+ mpg equivalent
0.5
0.0
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Vehicle mass (kg)

35. CONCLUSIONS
• Electric cars are coming
• CABLED project is demonstrating
• Hydrogen cars can solve problems
long range
rapid refill