Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) use electricity to power an electric motor. In contrast to other electric vehicles, FCEVs produce electricity using a fuel cell powered by hydrogen, rather than drawing electricity from only a battery. During the vehicle design process, the vehicle manufacturer defines the power of the vehicle by the size of the electric motor(s) that receives electric power from the appropriately sized fuel cell and battery combination. Although automakers could design an FCEV with plug-in capabilities to charge the battery, most FCEVs today use the battery for recapturing braking energy, providing extra power during short acceleration events, and to smooth out the power delivered from the fuel cell with the option to idle or turn off the fuel cell during low power needs. The amount of energy stored onboard is determined by the size of the hydrogen fuel tank. This is different from an all-electric vehicle, where the amount of power and energy available are both closely related to the battery's size. [1]
Components of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles: [1]
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Component of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles [1]
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1. Battery (auxiliary) 6. Fuel filler
2. Battery pack 7. Fuel tank (hydrogen)
3. DC/DC converter 8. Power electronics controller (FCEV)
4. Electric traction motor (FCEV) 9. Thermal system (cooling) - (FCEV)
5. Fuel cell stack 10. Transmission (electric)
What is a fuel cell electric vehicle?
FCEVs use a propulsion system similar to that of electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell. Unlike conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, these vehicles produce no harmful tailpipe emissions. Other benefits include increasing U.S. energy resiliency through diversity and strengthening the economy. FCEVs are fueled with pure hydrogen gas stored in a tank on the vehicle. Similar to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, they can fuel in less than 4 minutes and have a driving range over 300 miles. FCEVs are equipped with other advanced technologies to increase efficiency, such as regenerative braking systems that capture the energy lost during braking and store it in a battery. Major automobile manufacturers are offering a limited but growing number of production FCEVs to the public in certain markets, in sync with what the developing infrastructure can support.
[2]
Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are powered by hydrogen. They are more efficient than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and produce no tailpipe emissions—they only emit water vapor and warm air.
[2]
How Fuel Cells Work?
The most common type of fuel cell for vehicle applications is the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. In a PEM fuel cell, an electrolyte membrane is sandwiched between a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode). Hydrogen is introduced to the anode, and oxygen (from air) is introduced to the cathode. The hydrogen molecules break apart into protons and electrons due to an electrochemical reaction in the fuel cell catalyst. Protons then travel through the membrane to the cathode. The electrons are forced to travel through an external circuit to perform work (providing power to the electric car) then recombine with the protons on the cathode side where the protons, electrons, and oxygen molecules combine to form water.
[2]
Fuel cell electric vehicles emit only water vapor and warm air, producing no tailpipe emissions. Similar to electricity, hydrogen is an energy carrier that can be produced from various feedstocks. These feedstocks and production methods should be considered when evaluating hydrogen emissions.
[3]
Published on: 19 Mar 2022
References:
[1] US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, "How Do Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Working Using Hydrogen?" _https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-fuel-cell-electric-cars-work
[2] US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, "Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles" _https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/fuel_cell.html
[3] US Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Alternative Fuels Data Center, "Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Emissions" _https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/emissions_hydrogen.html
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