Scientists develop ‘safe’ new method for creating hydrogen gas to power electric cars that could help to slash emissions and production costs
- A new technology uses simple elements to create safer hydrogen fuel
- Researchers say it can power electric cars that are bigger with more efficiency
- It may also solve a cost issue that has hampered hydrogen fuel production
Researchers say they’ve developed a new method of powering electric cars that successfully balances zero-emission standards, increased capability, and potentially a fix to costly production.
Using water, carbon-dioxide, and cobalt, the new method is able to produce hydrogen gas that can be purposed for fuel, emitting only water vapor.
Once the hydrogen is produced in the new model, the gas goes to a fuel cell and is combined with oxygen from the atmosphere. From there, the hydrogen can then be used to create electricity to power the vehicles motor, headlights, and more.
A new method of creating hydrogen fuel could be a breakthrough for clean energy. A file photo is shown
‘This process doesn’t store any hydrogen gas, so it’s safe and poses no transportation issues, greatly minimizing the possibility of a fire or explosion,’ said UMass Lowell Chemistry Department Chairman, Prof. David Ryan in a statement.
‘Hydrogen burns completely clean; it produces no carbon dioxide, only water. And, you don’t have to burn hydrogen to generate electricity.
Hydrogen can be used in fuel cells, in which it combines with oxygen from the air to produce electricity at up to 85 percent efficiency.’
One major benefit to the new technology according to researchers is that unlike the current breed of electric vehicles, which rely on batteries that must be recharged semi-frequently and is viable only for smaller vehicles, this method would be capable of powering trucks, buses, and more.
Not only that, but creators of the technology say that their method would also solve some of the major problems associated with using hydrogen fuel as a replacement for fossil fuels.
Among the major fixes, they say, is cost. Current methods of producing Hydrogen cost about three time as much as natural gas per unit of energy produced.
Backers of hydrogen fuel and fuel cells hope that they can find a way to make their usage both sensible and economic. File photo
‘Since hydrogen is not mined or pumped out the ground like fossil fuels, we have to produce it. Current methods of doing that are expensive and inefficient,’ said Ryan.
‘This, coupled with the lack of needed infrastructure, has hampered the transition from a petroleum to a hydrogen economy.’
Developers of the technology already have a provisional patent on the method and are waiting to be awarded a full one.
