Hydrogen As a Transportation Fuel
Alternative transportation fuels are being developed because of various issues pertaining to conventional energy sources. One of the ways that this problem is being addressed is through the use of liquid-hydrogen cars.
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Characteristics
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Hydrogen is a lightweight element that consists of a high energy content. It requires four times the amount of hydrogen to produce the same energy as gasoline. Hydrogen must be in a liquid form when using this fuel source for transportation needs.
Vehicles
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Liquid hydrogen can be used in hydrogen combustion engines. Since hydrogen infrastructure is not widely available, this could create problems for refueling hydrogen vehicles that have large engines that consume a lot of fuel. The hybrid engine would allow gasoline to operate the vehicle if hydrogen is not available.
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Modification
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Gasoline-based engines can be modified and not necessarily redesigned to be used with with hydrogen fuel.
Fuel Cells
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Hydrogen and oxygen are the elements used in fuel cells to create electricity to power a vehicle. This form of fueling power is available for transport vehicles and the only byproducts that this type of fuel creates is water and heat.
History
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The earliest vehicles to run on hydrogen were German autos in the late 19th century. By World War II, Germany was using thousands of hydrogen-fueled vehicles. After the oil embargo of 1973, the U.S., Europe and Japan started to develop hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Fuel cell vehicles were first tested in 1993 and hydrogen technology is still being developed.
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