The world wide pollution problem is caused mostly due to the emission of gases like CO2, CO, NOx etc. which are not easily absorbed by sea or environment easily. Use of hydrogen has been considered as a good option particularly for the on-board application in the vehicles as H2 fuelled vehicles emit water molecules as their byproduct in a fuel cell. However storage of H2 is challenging as it occupies much larger volume compared to gasoline for the same amount of energy release. Storing hydrogen as a pressurized gas and carrying it on-board is not a suitable option for the vehicles..

As the English proverb says " Necessity is the mother of invention" so the option of using hydrogen as a fuel will be realized when the fossil fuels (esp. petroleum & natural gas) dwindle to the point of near disappearance.

At present, most of the hydrogen is produced by steam reforming of natural gas & this process is not a cheap one. Hydrogen could be made by the electrolysis of water but electricity is relatively expensive in many countries of the world.

Storage of hydrogen is problematic since it escapes from the most thick tightly closing metallic cylinders. Storing liquefied hydrogen is expensive since very low temperatures are needed.

Hydrogen combustion (reaction with oxygen) is an explosive one so it requires slow release of hydrogen plus an effort to smooth the reaction.

The above remarks are well-known by many scientists and they know that there are problems that have to be solved by R&D before there is a practicable utilization of hydrogen as a fuel. Of course, R&D requires "generous" expenditure but developed countries will not allocate money to this purpose unless the danger of losing "traditional" energy sources becomes very close.

My prediction is that the "serious or earnest" efforts, to replace fossil fuels with hydrogen, will start after the year 2050 because many petroleum & natural gas wells will be depleted by the year 2075, as the specialists estimated.

I am very much optimistic about hydrogen technology for fuel cell electric vehicle. I believe hydrogen is very promising energy storage mechanism. Hydrogen has highest specific energy (39.4kwh/kg), but the problem is, it has the lowest energy density at low pressure (0.083kg/m2 @1bar). And here comes the challenge: a way of storing as many mass (kg) in a given storage volume. The target on today’s R&D is at 700 bar is 40 kg/m2 and 5.5% H2 by weight. To achieve these, a special material called carbon fibre is on R&D to build a safe on board storage. And this will happen in the near future (5 to 10 years).

Concerning safety issue, hydrogen is very safe at present technology and due to the nature of hydrogen. We can discuss these issue further if anyone is interested. But in case you don’t know, by 2020, all London taxi vehicles will be transformed to Fuel Cell vehicles and in my city (Nottingham) fleets are fuel cell buses. Besides, it is becoming common to see hybrid FCEV these days.

To mention some of the widely known FC Vehicles:

• 2007 - Honda FCX Clarity - hydrogen fuel cell.
• 2010 - Mercedes-Benz F-Cell.
• 2014 - Hyundai Tucson FCEV.
• 2015 - Toyota Mirai - production version of the FCV concept car.
• 2016 - Riversimple Rasa.
• 2016 - Honda Clarity Fuel Cell.
• 2018 - Hyundai Nexo.

Does any one here, know of environmental assessments comparing hydrogen as a fuel to electricity? And on top of this, does any one of you know more about hydrogen as a fuel for trains?

I am trying to figure out if it makes sense. As far as I can see the rapid development with using electricity, would make hydrogen obsolete.

A future potential which may increase economic production of hydrogen and in turn increase its use in automotive industry, is hydrogen production by solar pyrolysis of biomass. This is discussed in the below mentioned review. Happy new year.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325803601_Biomass_pyrolysis_past_present_and_future?_sg=ITXlnzzX-78K7_tFJjTcbgDonvmUhypghF9idouzbhieAG1V7RoRxKdxKpWtZFg_esQnA5Y8NHpqPqjRrNIuB-KPpstxe48fkMKIvUPT.JfPYEbqemc6vqcVuNUzWwHP_SoEvt6R0NjD_UPluDaJsnW6QEFuk6xPEmMWb3UxNKldWDPdeb-YC0pcjRzOyQg

Dear Friends and Colleagues of RG

In my opinion, hydrogen fuel cell technology and electromobility should become economical and safe in the future. However, currently hydrogen production is not cheap. The storage of hydrogen, e.g. in cylinders in cars that would be fueled by this fuel, is associated with a high risk of a dangerous explosion. Space shuttles in space programs in the USA were fueled by hydrogen-oxygen fuel. However, there have been tragic catastrophes.

Do you agree with me on the above matter?

Please reply

I invite you to the discussion

Best wishes

In the context of the progressive warming of the Earth's climate, the following question is of particular importance:

Why are electric cars still much more expensive than an internal combustion engine?

Is it only when the production of electric cars will multiply, popularize and be bigger than cars powered by an internal combustion engine, then only will the price of an electric car fall below those versions that are powered by traditional technology of burning minerals? Do other factors also determine this?

Best wishes

More and more car companies are introducing versions of some models of produced electrically powered cars into production, ie they are becoming part of the increasingly global trend of electromobility. However, electric cars are still much more expensive than those powered by an internal combustion engine. In some countries, the state pays a significant part of the purchase of an electric car.

An interesting issue is that pro-ecological technologies have been known for a long time but have not been introduced to mass production. When the production of cars started at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, then electrically powered specimens appeared at that time, but mass production was not developed as part of the development of electromobility, but this method of power supply was replaced with internal combustion engines. Unfortunately, it took 100 years to finally take the issue of electromobility seriously.

In view of the above, I am asking you the following question: Is it only when the production of electric cars will multiply, popularize and be bigger than cars powered by an internal combustion engine, then only will the price of an electric car fall below those versions that are powered by traditional technology of burning minerals?

Do other factors also determine this?

What needs to be changed so that the production of electric cars will become the dominant standard in the automotive industry?

Please reply

I invite you to the discussion

Thank you very much

Best wishes

Electromobility is becoming a fact. More and more automotive companies are starting to mass-produce electric cars. Are there any prognostic estimates, how will electromobility look like around 2030? Is it then that at least half of the cars produced globally will be electric cars? In addition, smart mobile technology is being developed in parallel, ie autonomous cars that do not require active participation of the driver. Perhaps in 2030 a significant part of the cars produced will be electric cars equipped with smart mobile technology, including autonomous mobility.

What do you think about this topic?

What's your opinion on this topic?

Please reply

I invite you to the discussion

I agree with the fact that electromobility becomes a fact. The evolution of technologies coupled with the 17 SDGs of Agenda 2030 lead us to the conclusion that forecast estimates can be realistic targets for global smart machines. However, I think we need to highlight the internal and external factors that support new technological evolution. One of the determining factors is given by artificial intelligence, an essential part of these challenges in the context of globalization.

The subject you are initiating is extremely important to our lives, given that mobility is a fully valid one for each of us, which is why I congratulate you!

Any, the most dangerous technical device can be made safe. The problem is only in price. Until hydrogen energy is more expensive than traditional, it will not become the leading one, despite all the advantages.