Presentation on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles.

1. Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement of the Degree of Bachelor of
Technology in Mechanical Engineering
HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLES
by
ABNER ANKIT LAWRENCE
16BTMECH007
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Vaugh Institute of Agricultural Engineering and Technology
SAM HIGGINBOTTOM UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCES
Prayagraj (Allahabad), 2020
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2. Hydrogen
• Hydrogen can be produced from renewable sources such as solar, wind or hydroelectric power (using
electrolysis to extract hydrogen from water).
• Currently, the most common way of producing hydrogen is steam reforming from natural gas.
• There is an environmental cost of extracting hydrogen in this way, but it is the most widely available
approach. However, the same issue applies to battery electric vehicles (BEV). There is clearly an
environmental cost of a BEV running on electricity made from a coal- or gas-fired power station.
• Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and it is extremely efficient as an energy carrier
• Hydrogen can also be produced sustainably using electricity generated from renewable energy sources such
as solar, wind and hydroelectric power.
• It can be compressed or liquefied for delivery via a pipeline or for storage in tanks.

3. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
• Hydrogen fuel cell cars are powered by an electric motor and are therefore classified as e-cars. The common
abbreviation is FCEV, short for “Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle,” in contrast to a BEV or “Battery Electric
Vehicle.”
• There is one crucial difference between hydrogen fuel cell cars and other electric vehicles – hydrogen cars
produce the electricity themselves. So, unlike in fully electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, the vehicle doesn’t
get its power from a built-in battery that can be charged from an external power source
• Instead, hydrogen cars effectively have their own efficient power plant on board: the fuel cell.
• In the fuel cell of an FCEV, hydrogen and oxygen generate electrical energy. This energy is directed into the
electric motor and/or the battery, as needed.

4. History
• GM ElectroVAN, the first hydrogen fuel cell powered car introduced at 1966. The hydrogen and oxygen
stored in super-cooled liquid in cryogenic tank.
• Ford Edge with HySeries Drivetm, launched in 2007 is the world's first drivable fuel cell hybrid electric plug-
in that combines an onboard hydrogen fuel cell generator with lithium-ion batteries to deliver more than 41
mpg with zero emissions.
• Honda released a demo of a purely fuel cell Honda FCX Clarity in 2008, claiming a 60% efficiency level and
aiming to make the model one of the World’s first ‘mass market’ fuel cell car.
GM ElectroVan Ford Edge (2007) Honda FCX

5. Working of Fuel Cells
• In fuel cell technology, a process known as reverse electrolysis takes
place, in which hydrogen reacts with oxygen in the fuel cell. The
hydrogen comes from one or more tanks built into the FCEV, while
the oxygen comes from the ambient air. The only results of this
reaction are electrical energy, heat and water, which is emitted
through the exhaust as water vapor. So hydrogen-powered cars are
locally emission-free – more about that in a minute.
• The electricity generated in the fuel cell of a hydrogen engine can
take two routes, depending on the demands of the specific driving
situation. It either flows to the electric motor and powers the FCEV
directly or it charges a battery, which stores the energy until it’s
needed for the engine. This battery, known as a traction battery, is
significantly smaller and therefore lighter than the battery of a fully
electric car, as it’s being constantly recharged by the fuel cell.
• Like other e-cars, hydrogen vehicles can also recover or
“recuperate” braking energy. The electric motor converts the car’s
kinetic energy back into electrical energy and feeds it into the back-
up battery.

6. Working of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

7. Honda FCX Clarity Features and Operation
Components of the fuel cell vehicle:
• Electric Drive Motor
• Fuel Cell Stack
• Hydrogen Tank
• Lithium Ion Battery

8. How Environmental Friendly Is Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Technology?
• A car that uses only renewable energy and produces no harmful emissions would be ideal from an
environmental point of view. Let’s take a look at how close fuel cell cars are to this goal in comparison to
other types of propulsion:
• Alternative propulsion systems are designed to reduce the emission of pollutants, in particular climate-
harming CO2, but also other noxious gases such as nitrous oxide. The exhaust gas from a hydrogen engine
consist of pure water vapor. Hydrogen fuel cell technology is therefore locally emission-free.
• That depends on the conditions under which the hydrogen for the fuel cell vehicles was produced. Hydrogen
production requires electrical energy. This electrical energy is used to break water down into its constituent
elements, hydrogen and oxygen, via the process of electrolysis.
• If the electricity used comes from renewable energy sources, the hydrogen production has a
neutral carbon footprint. If, on the other hand, fossil fuels are used, this will ultimately have a knock-on effect
on the carbon footprint of the fuel cell cars using the hydrogen.
• However, hydrogen can be produced at times when there is an oversupply of electricity from renewable
energy sources when the wind or solar energy currently produced is not otherwise used.

9. Sustainability of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology
• Hydrogen is also a by-product of many industrial processes, where all too often it is treated as waste with no
further use. The fuel cell battery offers a way to upcycle this hydrogen, although it must be cleaned first.
• The energy balance sheet for hydrogen fuel cell cars also has to include the transportation and storage of the
hydrogen. Depending on the transportation technology used (liquid or gaseous), different costs for
compression, cooling, transport and storage arise. Due to its better transportability and storage ability, the
trend is towards liquid hydrogen.
• Nevertheless, the transportation and storage of hydrogen are – at this stage – still a good deal more complex
and energy-intensive than for gasoline or diesel. In contrast to fossil fuels, hydrogen can be produced
anywhere there is access to electricity and water, theoretically even at the actual filling stations for fuel cell
cars

10. Merits And Demerits
MERITS:
• The propulsion in hydrogen fuel cell cars is purely electrical. When you drive one, it feels similar to driving a
regular electric car. What does that mean? Virtually no engine noise and a lively start, because electric motors
provide full torque even at low speeds.
• Another advantage is the quick charging time. Depending on the charging station and battery capacity, fully
electric vehicles currently require between 30 minutes and several hours for a full charge. The hydrogen
tanks of fuel cell cars, on the other hand, are full and ready to go again in less than five minutes. For users,
this brings vehicle availability and flexibility into line with those of a conventional car.
• For the time being, hydrogen cars still have a longer range than purely electric cars. A full hydrogen tank will
last around 300 miles (approx. 480 kilometers). Battery-powered cars can match this with very large batteries
– which in turn will lead to an increase in both vehicle weight and charging times.
• The range of fuel cell vehicles is not dependent on the outside
temperature. In other words, it does not deteriorate in cold weather.

11. DEMERITS:
• Currently, the biggest shortcoming of hydrogen fuel cell cars is the sparsity of options for refueling. A
hydrogen engine is refueled at special fuel pumps, which in the future will probably find their way into
ordinary service stations. As things stand, however, there are still very few refueling stations for hydrogen-
powered cars. At the end of 2019 there are only around 40 in the U.S., as compared to approx. 80 in
Germany.
• Another disadvantage of producing hydrogen is the losses during electrolysis. The overall efficiency in the
“power to vehicle drive” energy chain is therefore only half the level of a BEV.
Merits And Demerits

12. Present Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles
Toyota Mirai
Hyundai Nexo
Honda Clarity

13. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles of Tomorrow
Audi H-tron BMW X5 iHydrogen

14. Conclusion
Hydrogen fuel cell technology has the potential to make ecologically sustainable mobility possible.
Hydrogen fuel cells are a promising alternative to current automobile fuels. They essentially combine the
energy density and the convenience of liquid fuels with the clean and efficient operation of electric
vehicles. Although certain aspects of the technology such as efficient on-board storage still require some
improvement, there are no reasons why hydrogen couldn’t become an equally convenient and attractive
transportation fuel as diesel or gasoline are today. However, this would above all require the use of
renewable energy sources when producing the hydrogen used, as well as an expansion of the
technological infrastructure in order to shorten transportation distances .

15. References
• Manoharan, Y.; Hosseini, S.E.; Butler, B.; Alzhahrani, H.; Senior, B.T.F.; Ashuri, T.; Krohn, J.
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles; Current Status and Future Prospect. Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 2296.
• Electric and Hybrid Vehicles – Tom Denton. Institute of the Motor Industry
• BMW Group: https://www.bmw.com/en/innovation/how-hydrogen-fuel-cell-cars-work.html
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