Can hydrogen fuel cells replace EV batteries?

11 June 2022
Why are most of the electric cars powered by a battery? Is there a viable alternative?

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  • Zeke

This article mentions only two methods of storing hydrogen in fuel cells, with both of them having serious deficiencies in the form of extreme requirements, such as cryocooling (which requires a complex system), or keeping H2 molecules sealed within a container at several hundred atmospheres of pressure (being the smallest element, Hydrogen is notoriously very difficult to prevent from leaking).

There is however another alternative: solid state storage of hydrogen atoms via substrate adsorption. In short, rather than trying to capture and keep H2 molecules in gas (high pressure) or (cryocooled) liquid form, you have individual Hydrogen atoms that bind with solid materials inside a replaceable/reusable fuel cartridge, and can be released for electricity production through various mechanisms.

This third technology is the one receiving perhaps the most significant amount of attention right now, because the other two have serious deficiencies that are hard to solve cheaply, even after price reductions due to economies of scale, and because this third alternative is one that isn't yet fully developed (i.e. the best method has yet to be established), while showing a great deal of promise after the details have been worked out.

The following YouTube video does an IMO great job of explaining one example of this third alternative in layman's terms (there are various other routes involving other methods of capture and release that are currently being researched): https://youtu.be/U7CCq4oBgw4

This is from Dubai Expo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUYWJCbJ-TM

I am so proud of my tiny country Slovakia and their technicians.
Looks awesome and pretends to be even better.
Trully amazing car.

  • kek

I feel we should be better off improving the current fossil fuel process in order to reduce CO2 emissions instead of diving into the EV world where every option seems like it needs expensive steps with little returns.

For starters, batteries hate high temperatures and extremely low temperatures. That's another thing that needs to be taken care of compared to Gas Motors.
Batteries do not like impacts and are really flammable and difficult to control when they catch fire.
Batteries tend to die after some years of use and their replacement is really expensive.

So, I dont think moving too fast into EV territory is actually a good idea for now. The technology is green right now and so many options need to be explored first. This Hydrogen fuel cell seems like a good idea to power cities or a house rather than a car.

  • Anonymous

better question:

do you want them to? can you make hydrogen at home? is it worth the hassle?

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