Hydrogen Fuel Cells: The Solution to America’s Transport Woes?

The basic concept behind fuel cells is that vehicles are run on an alternative energy known as hydrogen gas as opposed to normal gasoline. There is a fuel cell stack that is in the vehicle and converts the hydrogen gas into electricity which then powers the vehicle.future generations. 

There are some significant benefits of fuel cell technology:

"we have to learn how to develop in a way that decouples pollution from prosperity”

(Source: The World Wildlife Fund

There are some significant benefits of fuel cell technology:

Reduced greenhouse gas emissions: Vehicles powered by pure hydrogen do not emit any of the greenhouse gases.  Matthew Spencer, Greenpeace Climate Campaigner, believes that “Hydrogen fuel cell technology offers the potential for truly pollution-free transport.”

Lower oil dependency: Hydrogen can be supplied from national sources, such as water and natural gas so America would be less dependent on oil-rich countries. The organization Natural Gas Vehicles for America says that “Almost all, more than 98 percent, of the natural gas consumed in the United States comes from North America”, with over 85 percent of this produced in the United States.

At this stage the technology is still facing a number of challenges that must be dealt with to enable vehicles running on fuel cells to be competitive with conventional gasoline automobiles. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been running a fuel cell vehicle testing program to help demonstrate the successful use of this technology in real life scenarios: “The program was also successful in demonstrating how a package delivery company, UPS, can incorporate such an advanced technology vehicle into its normal operations.”

So it seems like we may well be driving around in vehicles powered by hydrogen in the very near future.

Source: Fuel Cell Chart

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Thank you for taking the time to read about Hydrogen Power - Fuel Cell Technology.

Lucy Brake: Writer & Editor

Sharon Haddox: Writer, Editor & Designer
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