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Hydrogen Car: Benefits of Hydrogen Fuel Cells in a Car

Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet. It can be extracted and is the ideal source of energy to help the world achieve a zero-carbon future. It can adequately meet the zero-carbon future's heat and power needs.

Updated on: 1 April, 2022 7:19 PM IST By: Shivam Dwivedi
Hydrogen Car

Following the global trend, India is currently transitioning away from producing energy from fossil fuels and toward more sustainable methods. The debates surrounding this shift primarily revolve around two major alternatives: electric and hydrogen. However, while electric vehicles have seen a massive increase in popularity and are closely associated with global carbon-neutral goals, hydrogen fuel remains shrouded in mystery.

Numerous Benefits

As a result, we can explain why hydrogen fuel cells are capable of bearing the weight of long-term goals and a greener future:

  • Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet. It can be extracted and is the ideal source of energy to help the world achieve a zero-carbon future. It can adequately meet the zero-carbon future's heat and power needs.

  • The gravimetric energy density of an energy source is used to calculate power and, consequently, efficiency. Diesel, for example, has a gravimetric energy density of 45MJ/kg, whereas natural gas has a gravimetric energy density of 55MJ/kg. The energy density of hydrogen fuel cells is three times that of diesel (approximately 120MJ/kg). As a result of this power, efficiency improves because hydrogen produces more energy per pound of fuel.

  • One of the main agendas of any initiative to build a greener future is to reduce emissions and deal with byproducts of energy production. Despite this impediment, hydrogen emerges as one of the best alternatives because the only byproducts of hydrogen production are heat and water. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is currently working to make the concept a reality by attempting to use Hydrogen as an energy source and the water produced as byproducts for astronauts.

  • Currently, the entire world relies on the countries that make up OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) to meet its energy needs. However, with the prevalence of hydrogen fuel cells as dominant energy sources, the newly resurrected independence will benefit global relations while decreasing reliance.

Although this article focuses on the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells in transportation, with enough research and development, hydrogen can become an adept energy provider for other products, large and small, such as home appliances, heating systems, manufacturing machines, and so on.

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