Still on the cards?
Looking ahead: Though hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, the lack of hydrogen-fueling infrastructure has held back progress for the EV alternative. Some companies, including Daimler (OTCPK
DAIF) and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA), aren't plannng on using hydrogen fuel cells, while others like Honda (NYSE:HMC) and Hyundai (OTC:HYMLF) are pushing ahead with model development. BMW (OTCPK:BMWYY) and General Motors (NYSE:GM) are still in the lab with their hydrogen joint ventures. If hydrogen power is going to work for consumers it will be Toyota (NYSE:TM) that blazes the trail. The Japanese automaker plans to test the response to the Mirai hydrogen fuel cell sedan in China, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Canada this year and next.
Hydrogen fuel cell cars get a test run - Daimler AG (OTCMKTSDAIF) | Seeking Alpha
A new type of nanomaterial used as a catalyst could provide a key breakthrough for fuel cells says researchers in Denmark and Sweden. While electric vehicles have taken the leading role in alternative power sources, there is still signficant interest in hydrogen-based vehicles, unmanned aircraft and energy sotrage systems using fuel cells. General Motors and Honda for example have set up an $85m manufacturing joint venture to mass produce hydrogen fuel cell systems. Mass production of fuel cell systems is expected to begin around 2020.
Fuel cell platinum need slashed by new nanomaterial | Smart2.0
I never quite understood the development and promotion of compressed air for large scale energy storage until I ran into a fellow who had completed his PhD on that subject. He confirmed somewhere around 12% full cycle efficiencies were the norm. Why do people bother?
Is hydrogen any different? Just how efficient can the full cycle hydrogen hope to be? I have to believe it, too, stinks. Am I wrong?
One problem: Hydrogen fuel cells require significantly more catalytic material than gasoline or diesel vehicles. Rather than converting pollutants, catalysts in fuel cells are responsible for kick-starting the all-important energy-producing hydrogen reaction itself. And that catalytic material happens to be platinum. Will the scarcity of this valuable metal doom the hydrogen car revolution before it begins?
Hydrogen cars depend on a single material that is becoming more scarce - Business Insider
Theoretically, proponents of hydrogen energy storage argue it would be a superior alternative to batteries, since the latter need discharging and recharging, and they don’t have very long productive lives. Hydrogen, on the other hand, does not need recharging. It can stay in the cavern for weeks and months, and only when the need arises is it whisked through pipelines to a power plant or a chemical plant, or even an oil refinery. The theory is great, but there is a reason why hydrogen storage has not yet had its time in the spotlight: it has not been commercially tested, possibly because of issues with the cost of the technology and its efficiency.
Will Hydrogen Break The Battery Market? | OilPrice.com
General Motors gave us a quick look at a new fuel cell EV platform it's developing, called SURUS. It stands for Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure, and it's a large driverless vehicle—about the size of a shipping container—that GM thinks could work in a range of applications, including mobile and emergency power generation, cargo delivery, and even military use. We weren't allowed to take any photos of it, but on Friday GM made it public.
From disasters to freight, this driverless fuel cell platform has it covered | Ars Technica
It seems like most of the auto industry is getting hydrogen fever, and we can now add Audi and Mercedes-Benz to that list. Audi used last week's North American International Auto Show in Detroit to debut its h-tron Quattro fuel cell SUV concept, and the UK's Autocar is reporting that Mercedes-Benz has green-lit for production a fuel cell version of its GLC SUV. Audi's h-tron Quattro looks fairly similar to the e-tron Quattro concept we saw in Los Angeles, and it presumably uses a lot of the same EV powertrain know-how. A full tank of H2 gives it a range of 373 miles (600km), and the on-board lithium-ion batteries can also be topped up by the gigantic solar panel on the roof.
German car makers are getting hyped about hydrogen | Ars Technica
PV+hydrogen: ITM Power exhibited new designs for hydrogen refueling stations last month at Solar Power International (SPI). The U.K. clean fuel specialist announced plans in early September to install a 10 MW hydrogen electrolyzer at a Shell refinery in Germany, and signed a deal to provide renewably powered electrolyzers for hydrogen fuel-cell buses in France. Chief Executive Graham Cooley spoke to pv magazine about the Sheffield-based company’s new refueling stations and the potential to use solar panels to produce hydrogen as a clean fuel.
The potential for PV-powered hydrogen production – pv magazine International
But we currently get 95% of our hydrogen by “reforming” natural gas. The natural gas is combined with steam (essentially H2O), with the end products being hydrogen gas and CO2. So “reforming” is kind of like a school for bad fossil fuels. Fuel cell cars using reformed natural gas are about 50% efficient, so they release even more CO2 than would be released if we burned natural gas directly. Moreover, fuel cell cars require an entirely new hydrogen infrastructure of reforming plants, hydrogen pipelines, hydrogen filling stations and vehicles.
Listen Up: Are Fuel Cells Better Than Batteries? - Renewable Energy World
To obtain pure hydrogen, it must be separated from one of these molecules. Virtually all of the hydrogen produced in the United States is obtained from hydrocarbon fuels, primarily natural gas, through steam reforming, a multi-step process in which the hydrocarbons react with high-temperature steam in the presence of a catalyst to produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and molecular hydrogen (H2). The hydrogen can then be separated from the other gases through a cumbersome, multi-step chemical process, but the cost and complexity of hydrogen production can be reduced by using a membrane to do the separation. Most of the hydrogen separation membranes currently being developed use the precious metal palladium, which has unusually high hydrogen solubility and permeance (which means that hydrogen easily dissolves in and travels through the metal, while other gases are excluded). But palladium is expensive (it currently sells for about $900 per ounce) and fragile. For these reasons, chemical engineers have long searched for alternatives to palladium for use in hydrogen separation membranes, but so far, no suitable candidates have emerged. A pioneering study led by Ravindra Datta, professor of chemical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), may have identified the long-elusive palladium alternative: liquid metals.
New Membrane Technology May Make Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles Viable
In addition, a fuel-cell electric vehicle is remarkably efficient, more than three times as efficient as today’s average gasoline-powered automobile. Its range and fueling time are comparable to those of conventional automobiles, its fuel can be produced in a variety of straightforward ways, and its drivetrain produces practically no vibration.
Why the Automotive Future Will Be Dominated by Fuel Cells - IEEE Spectrum
In my state, the requisite hydrogen-fueling infrastructure is being developed by the California Energy Commission, which projects that there will be 27 hydrogen filling stations operating here by the end of 2016, more than 44 by the end of 2017, and 74 by 2020. The need for a hydrogen-fueling infrastructure elsewhere in the country is being addressed by H2USA, an initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Energy. Source: Toyota; Graph: Mark Montgomery Hybrid Vigor: Sales of the Toyota Prius, which pioneered the hybrid drivetrain, took about a decade to really take off. The same will presumably be true of fuel-cell-powered cars. In Europe, there are currently a few dozen hydrogen-fueling stations in operation, and a program called Hydrogen Mobility Europe is leading efforts to increase that number. As of mid-2016, there were 80 hydrogen stations operating in Japan, where the government is keen to boost the number of such facilities considerably before the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Why the Automotive Future Will Be Dominated by Fuel Cells - IEEE Spectrum
The problem with trying to power larger, longer-distance vehicles with batteries is that more battery mass must be added to do so. That in turn requires the vehicle to be outfitted with a bigger motor, a stronger suspension, and better brakes to maintain the same performance—all of which add more weight, which means even bigger batteries are required. It’s a vicious circle, one that eventually becomes unsupportable when designing a large vehicle with the range to which drivers are accustomed. In contrast, fuel cells can be used to power virtually any size vehicle, from compacts cars to long-distance tractor-trailer rigs.
Why the Automotive Future Will Be Dominated by Fuel Cells - IEEE Spectrum
A study [PDF] carried out for the California Energy Commission in 2013 found that the state needed only 68 hydrogen filling stations for people to start buying FCEVs in substantial numbers. Within Southern California, only 38 such facilities would be required. At full build-out, only 15 percent of current gasoline filling stations operating in the state need to transition to hydrogen.
Why the Automotive Future Will Be Dominated by Fuel Cells - IEEE Spectrum
According to the new research report by Global Market Insights the Fuel Cell Market size is expected to reach USD 25.5 billion by 2024; driven by environment friendly and better alternative than existing options. Global Market Insights, Inc. says: Global Fuel Cell Market size was more than 180,010 units for 2015 and is predicted to register more than 24.1% of CAGR by end of 2024. Government support to create hydrogen power stations is predicted to drive the demand for fuel cell technology. Rise in vehicle production by automakers has favorably influenced the industry and acquired focus of international bodies on fuel cell electric vehicles. Further, strict rules promoting zero emission automobiles along with growing public transport is projected to favorably affect global industry growth during forecast timeline.
Fuel Cell Market to grow at 24% CAGR from 2016 to 2024 - H2FCSUPERGEN
When considering the acquisition of a FCEL preferred, it's necessary that we view that company through a different set of eyes than we would were we interested in acquiring its common shares. Consequently, unlike its common cousins, it's necessary that we first study the offering prospectus of the preferreds we are interested in acquiring. To accomplish this, let's visit my favorite search site, Quantum Online. Be sure to Type FCEL in its search box. Below is a snapshot of a slice of that opening page:
FuelCell Energy From The Perspective Of A Preferred Investor - FuelCell Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FCEL) | Seeking Alpha
EVs are easier to manufacture than FCVs, so promoting EVs lets automakers quickly show the world they are taking on climate change, said Koichi Oyama, senior manager of Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting Co. and a consultant to the auto industry. But more specialized parts are used for FCVs than EVs, which means their production requires more coordination between parts manufacturers and automakers. EV production is straightforward, and can be achieved by just assembling simpler parts. Even nonautomakers, such as Dyson Ltd. and Apple Inc., are reportedly looking to produce EVs on their own. “Although having cost-competitiveness and securing a supply chain is a different matter, EVs are technologically easy to make and many automakers already have plans for mass production,” said Oyama.
Infrastructure needs put a drag on fuel cell vehicle popularity | The Japan Times
According to Toyota, as of October it has sold 4,500 units of the Mirai sedan globally since its debut in December 2014. Hisashi Nakai, director of the technologies communication groups at Toyota, said the automaker aims to boost sales to 30,000 units annually in 2020. Honda Motor Co. is the only other Japanese automaker selling an FCV model; its Clarity Fuel Cell, which debuted in March 2016. The Tokyo-based firm said it had sold 181 units in Japan and 455 in the U.S. as of November. “The figures are a little smaller than our initial estimation,” said Oyama. In overseas markets, Mercedes-Benz recently announced that it plans to launch a plug-in fuel cell vehicle in 2019.
Infrastructure needs put a drag on fuel cell vehicle popularity | The Japan Times
Japan had 91 hydrogen filling stations in operation as of October, and the government aims to increase that number to 320 by fiscal 2025. But Japan already has more than 20,000 power charging spots. Building a hydrogen station is costly, too, at about ¥400 million to ¥500 million compared with the ¥100 million required for a conventional gas station.
Infrastructure needs put a drag on fuel cell vehicle popularity | The Japan Times
“Every single major manufacturer is either looking at or working on hydrogen cars,” says Jon Hunt, a marketing manager for Toyota and head of commercialisation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. “Lithium-ion battery production [for electric vehicles] is very energy-intensive. As an example, a 100kWh battery will give a potential range of 250 miles and, in order to produce that battery, it will take around 20 tonnes of CO2,” says Hunt.
Hydrogen fuel cell: do hydrogen cars have a future? | Auto Express
The key to encouraging hydrogen vehicles is making them part of a wider ‘hydrogen economy’ – building refuelling stations for hydrogen cars alone would be inefficient. Instead, ideally, the whole energy sector would incorporate hydrogen into the mix, from refuelling cars to storing energy for homes.
Hydrogen fuel cell: do hydrogen cars have a future? | Auto Express
Government investment also has a role to play. “In the UK today, around 1TW of energy is produced in renewables but not used,” says Hunt. “That’s excess generation that could be stored. This can produce around 18,000 tonnes of hydrogen – enough to power 90,000 vehicles for 12,000 miles.”
Hydrogen fuel cell: do hydrogen cars have a future? | Auto Express
Germany will build 400 stations by 2023, leading Hunt to warn: “UK PLC cannot afford to miss out on hydrogen; as other countries are developing their infrastructures, the UK cannot afford to fall behind.”
Hydrogen fuel cell: do hydrogen cars have a future? | Auto Express
The first is Toyota’s own. Jon Hunt says that the company’s cars are all based on a modular platform, and swapping them from a hybrid to a hydrogen structure isn’t difficult. “The [hybrid] drivetrain is totally transferable. So the adoption of the fuel cell is simply replacing the petrol drivetrain. Toyota is aiming at building 30,000 hydrogen fuel cell cars by 2020.” The other option is a more radical rethink. “All low-carbon vehicles demand a premium in the market, but buyers aren’t necessarily willing to pay this premium for the efficiency gains. So we need a different business model,” says Hugo Spowers, founder of sustainable car company Riversimple. Instead of selling its Rasa two-seater, Riversimple intends to sell its customers a ‘service’: they will never own the car, but, for around £370 a month (although Spowers says this is not the finalised figure), they’ll have access to a certain mileage of hydrogen driving, with fuel, insurance and all other costs covered.
Hydrogen fuel cell: do hydrogen cars have a future? | Auto Express
The fuel cell sector posted a third year of steady growth in 2017. The latest Fuel Cell Industry Review by London-based consulting firm E4tech estimates that megawatts shipped rose to 670 megawatts this year, marking a 30 percent year-over-year increase. Factoring in market expansions of 73 percent in 2016 and 61 percent in 2015, fuel cell industry volumes have more than tripled over the past three years. They could rise again by half in 2018, with an estimated 335 megawatts of additional shipments, reaching the 1,000-megawatt level for the year.
Fuel Cells in 2017 Are Where Solar Was in 2002 | Greentech Media