- Since electric vehicles have their advantages and disadvantages, there is an alternative to electric vehicles.
- These HFCVs (Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles) do not contain any batteries like electric vehicles.
- Hydrogen is the most fundamental and most abundant element in the universe.
- Hydrogen cells are a type of cell that can produce electricity by the conversion of air (oxygen) and hydrogen into water.
Working principle: A Hydrogen cell usually consists of the cathode (+ve charge), the Anode (-ve charge), and electrolyte in between them.
When a hydrogen molecule breaks down into a proton and an electron due to an electrochemical reaction, the proton travels to the cathode, and electrons travel in the circuit to provide electricity.
Protons, electrons, and oxygen combine at the cathode to make water.
The advantages and disadvantages of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are covered in another link (post). But some of them are covered here.
Advantages:
- Clean energy like conventional battery EVs, but no longer is time required for charging
- No mining process is required, which destroys the natural habitat
Disadvantage:
- Complex design of a car
- Toyota is the most researched company in hydrogen cell EVs
- Toyota Mirai is the most successful hydrogen CEV of Toyota with a range of around 400 miles and costs 50000 dollars in the USA (starting price)
- India has two popular HFCVs: Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo.
- Leh and Delhi are the first places in Ladakh where HFCVs have been introduced in Ladakh for public transportation.
- The government is also interested in the R&D of this field since it covers the major disadvantages of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles)
- In the future, we will see more and more hydrogen-based vehicles