Making a Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Automobile Engines

This motor vehicle is power by hydrogen fuel cells along with other alternative fuels.

A hydrogen fuel cell for automobile engines is seen, by some in the scientific community, as progress for alternative fuel technology. Making this fuel system possible requires a fuel cell that uses hydrogen gas to create electricity. This electricity is harnessed and powers the car engine. Although the technology is in its infancy and has some detractors, major car industries and governments are investing heavily in creating hydrogen fuel cell automobile engines. .

Instructions

1. Create a hydrogen storage tank that can fit within an automobile. The U.S. Department of Energy website states that hydrogen would have to be stored at large pressures to compress the hydrogen into a usable fuel for the car. The tank also must be able to store enough hydrogen for practical fuel uses. One electric car model, the Honda FCX Clarity, holds around 4 kilograms of hydrogen.

2. Connect a fuel stack cell to the hydrogen storage tank. A fuel stack cell turns the hydrogen gas and outside oxygen from the air into electricity. Essentially, the cell uses positive protons from hydrogen atoms to create an electric current. The waste product from this is water, since the negative hydrogen atoms combine with the oxygen.

3. Connect the fuel stack cell to the electric motor. The motor is similar to that of an electric car, but it uses the created electricity of the fuel stack cell instead of electricity from an external charging station.

Tips & Warnings

• Existing hydrogen car vehicles, such as the Honda FCX Clarity, use the basic structure of a hydrogen fuel car described by the U.S. Department of Energy. However, as the "Los Angeles Times" noted in an article concerning the Clarity, the fueling tank and how much it can store remains one of the most daunting problems in the hydrogen fuel cell issue. In addition, lacking infrastructure for hydrogen fuel stations in many countries has caused the car company BMW to reduce investment in hydrogen fuel cells.

References

• U.S. Department of Energy: Fuel Cell Vehicles
• McClatchy: Hydrogen Cars May Be a Long Time Coming
• "Los Angeles Times": Honda FCX Clarity -- Beauty for Beauty's Sake
• Business Insider: BMW Bets against the Hydrogen Car
• U.S. Department of Energy: How Fuel Cells Work