Hydrogen-based powertrains offer big benefits, bigger challenges

Jan. 1, 2020
Hydrogen fuel cell technology provides automakers and consumers with significant economic and environmental benefits, but significant technological challenges still need to be overcome.
hydrogen fuel cells HFC Toyota FCHS-adv FCX Clarity Developers of hydrogen fuel cells hope the technology someday will power the ultimate in environmentally friendly vehicles. Hydrogen would appear to be a near-perfect fuel, as it can be extracted from a wide range of renewable substances, even from water. And because the only byproduct is water vapor, it's essentially free of pollutants. Craig Scott, advanced technology vehicle manager for Toyota says, in comparison with other automotive technologies, "It's the closest to the silver bullet."

Hydrogen combustion has been around for decades. Hydrogen fuel cells (HFC) is a newer technology that uses stacks of hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity, which is used to power an on-board electric motor. Many of today's HFC vehicles, including Toyota's FCHV-adv (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle-Advanced) and the FCX Clarity from Honda, also have an onboard battery that works in combination with the fuel cell stack to power the vehicle.

Some vehicles use the battery more extensively than others. The FCX Clarity draws on the battery only when an extra boost of power is needed, according to Honda. Toyota relies more heavily on the battery.

"At low speeds around town, you might use the battery by itself," explains Scott. "At mid- to upper-speeds, you might use a combination of the fuel cell and battery or just the fuel cell. If you want to pass, you typically would get both."

Although Honda, Toyota, Ford, General Motors and other companies have HFC vehicles on the road, the numbers are fairly small — and it's still virtually impossible to actually purchase a fuel cell vehicle today. Several manufacturers, including Toyota and Honda, lease HFC models in a handful of states for around $600 a month, but the vehicles are not offered for sale.

"The main reason we only lease them is that it's too expensive to transfer the cost," Scott explains. The money that Toyota earns from the lease program does not cover the cost of the vehicle. He notes that HFC is the most costly technology Toyota offers today on an "absolute dollar basis, but maybe not a per-mile traveled basis."

Toyota offers the lease program because it helps with development efforts. "We collect a lot of data that feeds into the development process," Scott says. "We look at everything you can imagine."

Automakers already have made substantial progress in the development of HFC technology. Limitations on operating temperature range, for example, have been largely overcome by using polymer electrolyte membranes. Driving range also has been steadily increasing. Honda now claims a range of 270 miles for the FCX Clarity, up from 160 miles for a comparable 2003 model. The company also says startup and acceleration times are comparable to that of a 2.4-liter internal combustion vehicle of similar size.

Jeff Allen, an associate professor at Michigan Technological University involved in HFC development, expects to see continued progress that will address other key challenges facing fuel cell technology. He believes the cost of HFC will come down and that it will be more durable as a result of new developments in the catalysts used in converting hydrogen to electricity. He predicts HFC developers will be able to bring the cost of the technology down enough for it to be mass marketed within 10 years. "Two years ago I would've said it was six or seven years away, but the automakers have had to scale back their efforts," notes Allen.

One factor that will determine HFC technology's success is largely out of the control of the automakers. Currently there are few hydrogen filling stations. Another concern is that the hydrogen that most stations dispense is produced in a manner that falls short of the ultimate eco-friendly vision. In most cases it's extracted from natural gas.

To support a mass market for HFC vehicles, a more ecological way of obtaining hydrogen will have to be found, says Allen. "We make it from hydrocarbons now because it's cheap and readily available but that would never scale."

Extracting hydrogen from water through a process called electrolysis could be better for the environment, but today that process uses a lot of electricity. However, high-temperature electrolysis has the potential to address that concern with substantially less energy required, he said.

"Eventually you'll have hydrogen production through dams, clean nuclear and solar," predicts Paul T. Jansen, managing director of H2Bridge Associates, a company focused on hydrogen and alternative systems and vehicles. Jansen said car owners eventually may be able to make their own hydrogen using solar panels on the roof of their home.

"It's in the realm of possibility to get enough electricity off the roof to run a hybrid car back and forth to work," says Jansen. "Except for the $10,000 startup cost, there's no ongoing fuel cost."

That option would not be practical for everyone, however, which means that a hydrogen distribution network also would be needed.

Allen foresees a distribution infrastructure that could accept hydrogen created from a variety of methods, depending on geography and climate. The infrastructure, which would play a role similar to that of the electrical grid, would need to include pipelines, he said.

Assuming concerns such as these can be addressed, HFC technology ultimately should be better for the environment than electric vehicle technology since it isn't encumbered by problems associated with electric vehicles, such as battery disposal, Allen said. HFC vehicles also will have greater driving range than electric vehicles, according to Scott.

Nevertheless, manufacturers appear reluctant to bet the farm on HFC technology. Several, including Honda, Toyota and Ford, have electric vehicle development programs as well as HFC programs, and for Ford, at least, the electric development program is getting a higher level of support.

Jennifer Moore, a spokesperson for Ford, explains that the company currently is "reallocating its resources for a greater focus on nearer term, more mature, higher volume and more affordable technologies including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles."

Meanwhile, Chrysler spokesman Nick Cappa said that company sees HFC as "a viable technology," but added, "vehicle electrification seems to be the best solution in the near-term."

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