Hydrogen Report Reveals Key Obstacles to Fuel Cell Vehicles
Ford's hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle next to a classic Model T. Hydrogen powertrains could be the next revolution for the automobile industry.
Source: Hydrogen Forecast www.hydrogenforecast.com
As the world’s automakers turn to zero-emissions hydrogen fuel in order to remove the automobile from the environmental debate, there are several obstacles that the automotive industry faces before the fuel cell vehicle can be a commercially viable alternative. So says Steel in the Car of the Future, a report by the publication Hydrogen Forecast commissioned by WorldAutoSteel, IISI’s Automotive Group. The report is a comprehensive state-of-the-industry review of the automotive industry’s hydrogen-fuelled vehicle development.
Onboard storage of sufficient hydrogen to provide suitable driving range and the high cost of components head the list of obstacles. Another hurdle is component weight.
“Automakers might be tempted to turn to low density, lightweight materials to compensate for this weight issue. This is the path they have taken for fuel cell concept vehicles. But for actual production vehicle purposes, they are deterred by the added expense, which would exacerbate the existing cost premium of the new powertrain technology,” said John McCormick, executive editor of Hydrogen Forecast. The report’s research indicates that automakers’ continuing efforts to make the fuel cell system components more efficient will eliminate the weight penalty currently incurred and therefore further reduce the need for low density, lightweight structural materials.
From a vehicle total life-cycle perspective, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles produce no emissions during the use phase, making the impact of the material manufacturing phase emissions much more significant. Using steel, which produces significantly less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during material production than aluminium or magnesium, ensures that the fuel cell vehicle’s positive effect is not negatively impacted by materials that produce high emissions. Steels produced from integrated mills emit between 2.3 to 2.7 kg carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2eq) per kg of material, while primary aluminium produces between 13.9 and 15.5 CO2eq per kg of material depending on the production methods and energy sources used.
Most automakers do not see a comprehensive switch to aluminium-intensive vehicles as a logical decision for fuel cell vehicle development. Rather, they are maintaining the philosophy of using the right material for the right applications
“The steel industry has demonstrated that high-strength and advanced high-strength steel applications improve vehicle crash and structural performance, yet reduce vehicle weight and environmental impact at little or no cost premium,” said Edward Opbroek, Director, WorldAutoSteel. “Evidence of their effectiveness can be found in many applications in current vehicles. With similar structural requirements, there is no logical reason for a major change in steel usage. However, it is imperative that we continue to demonstrate steel’s automotive performance advantages to keep steel at the top of automakers’ minds as the right solution for this new generation of vehicles. ”
