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Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles use hydrogen gas as a source of fuel to generate electricity. They are one of the cleanest forms of transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles use a fuel cell stack in order to convert the chemical energy that’s being stored in hydrogen into electrical energy, which will be used to power an electric motor.
A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle starts with Hydrogen gas being stored inside a high pressure tank located within the vehicle. Then the hydrogen is given to the fuel cell stack, which is made of an Anode, Cathode, and an Electrolyte. Hydrogen molecules from the storage tanks are then introduced into the anode compartment of each fuel cell. The Hydrogen molecules then usually encounter a catalyst which makes the electrochemical reaction. The Electrochemical reaction is done with the help of the catalyst, which helps split the hydrogen molecules into protons, labeled “H+” and electrons which are labeled “e-”. Once this step is done, the protons move through the proton exchange membrane, while the electrons are forced to use an external circuit because the proton exchange membrane is very selective. While the electrons flow through the external circuit, this creates an electrical current, and this will power the electric motor found in the vehicle. On the other hand, Oxygen is provided to the cathode inside the fuel cell stack, which has the electrons that have taken the external path, and the protons. While inside, they are all mixed to create water (H2O), which will be the only thing the car will leave behind. Using this technology, we are able to assure that Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles will not produce anything that will harm the environment nor use non-renewable resources aside from the transportation of the Hydrogen needed to power the vehicle.
There are some issues with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles. One of those issues is that it lacks a proper infrastructure. The reason is because one hydrogen fueling stations costs more than one million dollars to make. Another issue is that Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles are also really expensive, as the technology revolving around using hydrogen as fuel is still a fairly new concept, therefore it is also extremely expensive. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles usually get great range, much more than gas and electric vehicles. Some examples of Hydrogen Vehicles are the Hyundai Nexo, Honda Insight, and the Toyota Mirai.
