Environmental Engineering Reference
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runs on hydrogen gas stored under the cab's floor and acts more like a
range extender than a primary power source.
At the 2005 International Conference and Trade Fair on Hydrogen
and Fuel Cell Technologies there were more than 600 fuel cell vehicles. In
Europe the potential market for hydrogen and fuel cell systems is project-
ed to reach several trillion Euros by 2020.
The new cars on the road in the future are likely to be a mix of ve-
hicles including those with electric/hybrid drive. This would include bat-
tery EVs, hybrids with direct-injection diesels, turbo generators and fuel
cells.
DaimlerChrysler is delivering fuel cell vehicles to customers in Cali-
fornia. Shell Oil has established a Hydrogen Economy team dedicated to
investigate opportunities in hydrogen manufacturing and fuel cell tech-
nology in collaboration with others, including DaimlerChrysler.
One of Ford's partners, Virginia-based Directed Technologies direct-
ed Ford to build that cars that carry hydrogen gas, eliminating the need
for costly and bulky reformers. Along with onboard hydrogen storage,
they also hold that the problems of building the hydrogen infrastructure
can be overcome.
Others affirm the superiority of direct hydrogen, but feel that liquid
fuels such as methanol are the answer for the near future. If methanol is
used directly, there has to be an onboard reformer and a revised infra-
structure to deliver it. But methanol does have some advantages. There is
excess generating capacity, and it's the least expensive fuel to transport.
Some 70% of the world's oil is in OPEC countries, and 65% of it is in the
Persian Gulf. If we switch to methanol, which is produced from natural
gas, we can diminish that dependency.
A truly zero-emissions hydrogen generating system using solar or
natural sources is popular where the fuel is produced from an aggregate
of photovoltaic collectors, wind generators, and biomass. This would al-
low a motor vehicle fuel so clean-burning that you could drink the efflu-
ent from the tailpipe with no urban smog from vehicles or generating sta-
tions.
For transportation, fuel cells have important advantages. Three main
automotive goals are efficiency, range, and emissions. Gasoline and die-
sel fuels have the efficiency and range, but there are emissions problems.
Batteries meet the emissions and the efficiency goals, but not the range.
The fuel cell promises to have extremely low emissions, with excellent
range and efficiency, providing the storage problems are solved. Hydro-
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