Is hydrogen a good fuel for motor vehicles
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Comment on article
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Electric propulsion is probably the best in terms of safety, running costs and air pollution. Chinese have already set up lakhs of charging points and will increase these exponentially. They have gigantic manufacturing capacity for solar & wind power equipment and Lithium batteries.
Hydrogen is useful
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Hydrogen can be mixed with PNG and CNG to reduce imported content of natural gas. Tata has recently launched a hydrogen-powered fuel cell bus. Hydrogen house project (New Jersey, US) is testing the concept of piping hydrogen into homes and using it for cars. Project will also make hydrogen at home from solar PV.
Electric fuel is better
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1. Renewable power produces electricity as a primary output, so it is cheap and not wasteful of energy.
2. Less moving parts and thus cheaper to maintain
3. Renewable power and its transmission is clean and simple. Distribution infra is mostly in place, except for charging points.
4. Electric fuel is the safest. Quantum of storage is manifold less than a large tankful of petrol, but adequate for city driving.
5. Lithium is a rare metal. Li batteries are expensive, though Li can be recycled. It becomes extraneous if cheap non-Li battery is developed. Lithium will be imported.
6. Charging takes time, though battery swapping can deal with most problematic issues.
7. Charging at out-of-use hours can usually be done at cheap rates. This also helps balance the grid of excess demand or supply, allowing more renewable sources to be added.
Problems with hydrogen that slows its uptake
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1. Hydrogen is not a primary fuel. It must be produced from another source. However it can be produced relatively simply from electrolysis using renewable sources.
2. Hydrogen is converted into electricity and so also benefits from less moving parts. However it releases water which can be problematic
3. Hydrogen can use existing petrol forecourt space but may still need massive investment. It can't be delivered in liquid form like LPG because of safety or temperature issues.
4. Hydrogen is dangerous and not easy to store. It will be 3x bulkier than CNG for same energy content. A fill of hydrogen will delivery significantly fewer miles than a typical CNG fill
5. All inputs can be sourced from within the country, esp if power comes from renewable sources. Fuel cell is said to be expensive.
6. It can be transferred quickly probably as compressed gas.
7. A combination of Lithium battery and fuel cell may work, as both release electricity. Or not work, as it could double cost and not reduce risks.
Electric and others options
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Electric fuel is best for inner city travel because they are cheaper to run and all the facility will be readily available. Methanol can be an alternative fuel. Used in a hybrid methanol can increase range. It has energy density to power large vehicles, such as barges and ships. CNG has been preferred over hydrogen for transportation. Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas. For buses 1: 4 of hydrogen to CNG is recommended. Hydrogen can be blended at 15% with PNG. If hydrogen is added to PNG/ CNG its production can be scaled up to a massive scale. This will make it easier to switch to hydrogen in the future.
Electricity can be made cheaply by renewable sources. Methanol can be produced from agricultural waste and fossil fuel sources and can be stored relatively safely. It is however poisonous. Hydrogen can be produced from a number of sources, like coal and from surplus renewable electricity (called power to gas).
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Tata showcases Hydrogen powered Starbus (fuel cell based)
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Fuel cell based Starbus has been developed with ISRO, is fully indigenous and designed for inter-city commute. It's a first for India. Tata also released all-electric buses, to match offerings from Ashok Leyland. Tata has extensively trialed CNG buses and will now supply electric hybrid buses to Mumbai.
Its commercial vehicle director says, Tata has made early investment. Future ready buses will be priced to capture market leadership —though it will earn enough to make investments worthwhile.
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Comment on article
Electric propulsion is probably the best in terms of safety, running costs and air pollution. Chinese have already set up lakhs of charging points and will increase these exponentially. They have gigantic manufacturing capacity for solar & wind power equipment and Lithium batteries.
Hydrogen is useful
Hydrogen can be mixed with PNG and CNG to reduce imported content of natural gas. Tata has recently launched a hydrogen-powered fuel cell bus. Hydrogen house project (New Jersey, US) is testing the concept of piping hydrogen into homes and using it for cars. Project will also make hydrogen at home from solar PV.
Electric fuel is better
1. Renewable power produces electricity as a primary output, so it is cheap and not wasteful of energy.
2. Less moving parts and thus cheaper to maintain
3. Renewable power and its transmission is clean and simple. Distribution infra is mostly in place, except for charging points.
4. Electric fuel is the safest. Quantum of storage is manifold less than a large tankful of petrol, but adequate for city driving.
5. Lithium is a rare metal. Li batteries are expensive, though Li can be recycled. It becomes extraneous if cheap non-Li battery is developed. Lithium will be imported.
6. Charging takes time, though battery swapping can deal with most problematic issues.
7. Charging at out-of-use hours can usually be done at cheap rates. This also helps balance the grid of excess demand or supply, allowing more renewable sources to be added.
Problems with hydrogen that slows its uptake
1. Hydrogen is not a primary fuel. It must be produced from another source. However it can be produced relatively simply from electrolysis using renewable sources.
2. Hydrogen is converted into electricity and so also benefits from less moving parts. However it releases water which can be problematic
3. Hydrogen can use existing petrol forecourt space but may still need massive investment. It can't be delivered in liquid form like LPG because of safety or temperature issues.
4. Hydrogen is dangerous and not easy to store. It will be 3x bulkier than CNG for same energy content. A fill of hydrogen will delivery significantly fewer miles than a typical CNG fill
5. All inputs can be sourced from within the country, esp if power comes from renewable sources. Fuel cell is said to be expensive.
6. It can be transferred quickly probably as compressed gas.
7. A combination of Lithium battery and fuel cell may work, as both release electricity. Or not work, as it could double cost and not reduce risks.
Electric and others options
Electric fuel is best for inner city travel because they are cheaper to run and all the facility will be readily available. Methanol can be an alternative fuel. Used in a hybrid methanol can increase range. It has energy density to power large vehicles, such as barges and ships. CNG has been preferred over hydrogen for transportation. Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas. For buses 1: 4 of hydrogen to CNG is recommended. Hydrogen can be blended at 15% with PNG. If hydrogen is added to PNG/ CNG its production can be scaled up to a massive scale. This will make it easier to switch to hydrogen in the future.
Electricity can be made cheaply by renewable sources. Methanol can be produced from agricultural waste and fossil fuel sources and can be stored relatively safely. It is however poisonous. Hydrogen can be produced from a number of sources, like coal and from surplus renewable electricity (called power to gas).
■────────────────────────■
Tata showcases Hydrogen powered Starbus (fuel cell based)
Fuel cell based Starbus has been developed with ISRO, is fully indigenous and designed for inter-city commute. It's a first for India. Tata also released all-electric buses, to match offerings from Ashok Leyland. Tata has extensively trialed CNG buses and will now supply electric hybrid buses to Mumbai.
Its commercial vehicle director says, Tata has made early investment. Future ready buses will be priced to capture market leadership —though it will earn enough to make investments worthwhile.
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As India plans to give a robust push to promote use of electric vehicles, a top scientist says hydrogen-based system would be the right choice in the long run given its potential to become fuel of the next generation. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had come out with a demonstration vehicle using hydrogen itself as fuel, G Madhavan Nair, the former chairman of the space agency, said. He was referring to a hydrogen-powered bus developed four years ago by Tata Motors BSE 0.40 % and ISRO after several years of research.
"In the long run, I will say that hydrogen-based thing will be the right choice because hydrogen has to become the fuel of the next generation," Nair told in an interview.
India is looking at having an all-electric car fleet by 2030 with an express objective of lowering the fuel import bill and the running cost of vehicles. The government is aggressively trying to push the sales and production of EVs in the country through schemes such as FAME India BSE -0.43 % . State-run Energy Efficiency Services Ltd (EESL) last month said it will procure 10,000 electric cars. According to Piyush Goyal, who held power portfolio till recently, India aims to become 100 per cent e-vehicle nation by 2030. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari has earlier asked automobile manufacturers in the country to go for eco-friendly alternative fuels, else he would 'bulldoze' them.
"We should move towards alternative fuel... I am going to do this, whether you like it or not. And I am not going to ask you. I will bulldoze it. For pollution, for imports, my ideas are crystal clear. The government has a crystal-clear policy to reduce imports and curb pollution," Gadkari said.
Nair said the hydrogen fuel cell that directly powers vehicles is "pretty expensive these days" and, so, one has to evolve a low-cost fuel cells technology, to make them viable. "And how to generate hydrogen in an economical way and then how to make fuel cells...these are some of the technology challenges. We should mount a research and development programme in this regard," he said.
"Lithium, you cannot throw it around. That becomes the most polluting thing. There has to be an adequate mechanism for collection and reprocessing," Nair said. LiB has a life of five to seven years, which can be stretched up to 10 years, according to him. "Disposals (therafter)...when you have millions of (electric) cars like this (LiB operated)...they should not get caught in the normal way and pollute the environment," Nair said.
The availability of lithium is scarce and that's why the cost of LiBs is high, he said. "Secondly, handling (lithium) is difficult, you require moisture-free environment. That's why I say for the long-run, one should look for (Hydrogen) fuel cell which is something like a battery-sized box but does this conversion of hydrogen into electricity. If you invest on that, I think we will have a much better opportunity," Nair said.
According to industry officials, hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles are "non-polluting", and water vapour is the only emission. In such vehicles, hydrogen is stored in compressed form, which combines with oxygen in the air to generate electricity, which is used to charge the fuel cells to power their motor, they noted.
REPLY Oct 14, 2017 - Tata showcases Hydrogen powered Starbus (fuel cell based)
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Fuel cell based Starbus has been developed with ISRO, is fully indigenous and designed for inter-city commute. It is a first for India. Tata also released all-electric buses, to match offerings from Ashok Leyland. Tata has extensively trialed CNG buses and has an order for its new electric hybrid buses.
Its commercial vehicle director says, Tata has made early investment. Future ready buses will be priced to capture market leadership —though it will earn enough to make investments worthwhile.
¶ Hydrogen Powered Starbus Fuel Cell bus is a zero-emission mass transportation soluion
¶ Also launched: Starbus Electric 9m, Starbus Electric 12m and the Starbus Hybrid 12m, all designed and made in India
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REPLY Oct 14, 2017 REPLY Oct 23, 2017 - Fuel cell cars have a place according to Japan. Mainly of hassle with EV for out of city travelling and time to charge up. California has also installed hydrogen gas stations.
REPLY Oct 27, 2017
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