Hydrogen cars with zero emissions at the tailpipe, ready to spread widely
Transport is the main source of greenhouse gas emissions and a serious contributor to global warming. Road vehicles in particular are responsible for a large proportion of urban air pollution. One way to decarbonise mobility could be to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen. This is the most common substance in the universe, but it doesn’t exist naturally on earth; one can only find it in molecular forms such as water or organic compounds. It can be produced by extracting it from its compound, usually in a gaseous form, made of two atoms (H2). It is a high efficiency and low-polluting fuel, which only releases water and heat as by-products. It is also an energy carrier, which can store and deliver energy. Urban mobility based on hydrogen is gaining ground in Europe, especially in Denmark, the UK and the Baltic countries. The technology involved is called hydrogen electric. “Actually, the vehicles are electric, only the storage is in hydrogen, which is not burned but used in the fuel cell to create electricity for power,” explains Helmut Morsi, advisor to the Director, DG for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission. A hydrogen tank is able to store a large amount of energy, making it more suitable for bigger vehicles, like buses or trucks. “The heavier the vehicle is, the more efficient the hydrogen will be,” stressed Morsi. Read full article here: http://stardustproject.eu/news/hydrogen-cars-with-zero-emissions-at-the-tailpipe-ready-to-spread-widely/(opens in new window)
