Everything you need to know about hydrogen fuel cell cars
The switch to hydrogen engines for automobiles aims to eliminate gasoline engines entirely. The introduction of gasoline and diesel engines marked a significant advancement in the early days of the automobile industry.
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| Everything you need to know about hydrogen fuel cell cars |
However, as time went on, gasoline engines got more dangerous, therefore automakers started developing different types of engines, such as the following:
- Hybrid engines are a mixture of gasoline and electric power.
- Fully electric motors.
- Ethanol engines, which are produced from corn in the United States of America.
- Hydrogen engine.
Why is it being done away with the gasoline engine?
Traditional gasoline engines are being eliminated due to the large financial value when consuming cars with large engines such as 6 or 8 cylinders, in addition to the significant damage to the environment from the exhausts of this fuel that pollutes the climate in general.
On the other side, the remaining engine types have the most potent characteristics, such as:
- The ability to travel greater distances.
- Reduced costs associated with shipping.
- Low emissions polluting the environment.
- The car will not emit any emissions if a hydrogen engine is obtained.
The United States of America, Germany, South Korea, and most recently the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which aims to be unique in this issue and will work to construct a hydrogen automobile factory shortly, are among the nations now trying to promote this technology.
How does a hydrogen engine work in a car?
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| hydrogen engine |
A automobile with a hydrogen engine is an electric vehicle, however electric cars require charging before they can be used for transportation.
The hydrogen engine or hydrogen cells can supply the engine with the necessary energy without the need for electrical charging.
These cells supply chemical energy, which is transformed into kinetic energy when the car moves with the airflow and powers the electric motor.
In this case, hydrogen and oxygen must be combined inside a fuel cell to produce electrical energy; occasionally, the hydrogen is burned inside the fuel chamber to obtain the necessary energy.
Steps in detail about the operation of the hydrogen engine:
- Air containing oxygen rushes into the car engine as you turn it on.
- To what are referred to as fuel cells, the oxygen is transmitted.
- However, hydrogen pours into these cells in a hurry.
- After that, a reaction takes place between them, producing electrical energy.
- In order to work and drive the car, this electrical energy rushes to the engine.
- In order to extend the driving range, it is also transferred to the vehicle's battery.
Around the 1950s, the actual process of making hydrogen-powered cars began. It was tested on a variety of cars, but at that point it was not entirely successful. The United States of America accepted support for the new era hydrogen car project and allocated significant financial resources to it. Years later, the project was resumed after it had been suspended.
The first hydrogen car
In 2014, Toyota seized the opportunity to compete in a market niche that had not yet materialized and created the well-known Toyota Mirage, which is regarded as the first official automobile with a hydrogen engine. Only two years had gone when other businesses started to enter the competitive market. Hyundai offered the Nexo car to us in 2016 and Honda unveiled the FCEV, a test vehicle.
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| Toyota mirage |
Features of the hydrogen engine
- Reducing emissions as much as possible compared to gasoline cars, which reach 0%.
- The filling process is not as time consuming and time consuming as filling a gas tank.
- Filling the tank faster compared to electric cars, which require hours of charging if using a regular charger.
- Since the value of hydrogen is lower than gasoline, its price is lower.
- The ability to drive long distances without refueling, such as the Mirai, which has a range of up to 1,350 kilometers.
As of now, cars with hydrogen engines provide a respectable amount of power, and it is expected that hydrogen engines with power of up to 1,000 horsepower will be available in the future.
Disadvantages of hydrogen engines
Excess water:
Hydrogen and oxygen combine to create electrical energy, although it is not created exclusively. But the process of making water also requires electric energy. Water must leave the vehicle if electrical energy is transferred to the engine. Therefore, extra water will exit the vehicle through the back rather than gasoline engine exhausts. Imagine the amount of water that would come out of every automobile if they all had hydrogen engines; the traffic light where the cars halt would resemble a little pool of water.
high cost of cars
It is true that you will get an engine that saves on charging and a useful distance, but this will not be free. The car companies that offer hydrogen-powered vehicles do not provide them at a cheap price. There is the Toyota Mirai, which is classified as a medium-sized sedan. Its price starts at $50,000, and its highest price is $66,000. So what if you move to sports vehicles, a crossover, or a pickup? However, it is expected that if this type of engine becomes widespread, car prices will begin to decline.
Low hydrogen stations
When it comes to the creation, acceptance, and sales of vehicles powered by hydrogen, the American market might be regarded as the pioneer. However, there are thought to be a very small number of hydrogen filling stations.
This is comparable to the procedure used to create electric vehicles, but over time, power plants have spread throughout the world.
The cost of producing hydrogen stations
The same is true for ethanol plants; nevertheless, although being incredibly cost-effective, building a filling station is very expensive.
In comparison to building gas stations or electric power stations for vehicles that run on electricity, the cost of producing hydrogen stations is equally expensive.
