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Hydrogen drive for cars

Hydrogen as a fuel

878 494 Juri Lasse Raffetseder

Die Energiewende wird aus unterschiedlichen Gründen gefordert. Zum einen im Rahmen des Umweltschutzes, da mit fossilen Brennstoffen eine hohe CO2 Bilanz einhergeht. Zum anderen wünschen sich viele Deutsche eine außenpolitische Unabhängigkeit von anderen Ländern, die Deutschland mit Energie beliefern. Die Automobilindustrie spielt eine wichtige Rolle in der Energiewende. Hier wird in den letzten Jahren verstärkt auf die Entwicklung von Elektrofahrzeugen und den Ausbau von Lademöglichkeiten dieser gesetzt. Volkswagen, Europas größter Autobauer, treibt im Hintergrund jedoch noch eine Alternative zur herkömmlichen Elektromobilität voran.

It is a hydrogen drive with fuel cells for cars. In the case of this technology, we are not talking about the internal combustion engine powered directly by hydrogen, but about the conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. So we are also talking about hydrogen-powered cars with an electric motor. However, the electrical energy is not stored in a battery, but is generated while the car is in motion. A hydrogen tank and a fuel cell are installed in the car for this purpose. The hydrogen reacts with the oxygen in the air to produce the energy needed for the electric motor.

Experts see the advantages of the fuel cell drive in the range that the cars can cover on one tank charge. This is an area where electric models have been criticized in some quarters. In addition, refueling a hydrogen tank is much faster than electrically charging a large battery. Hydrogen is also very flexible in terms of storage, as it can be kept for any length of time.

However, hydrogen is not fundamentally environmentally friendly. The most common variant for hydrogen production in industry worldwide produces so-called “gray hydrogen”. In this process, natural gas is cracked under heat, usually obtained from gas or coal. In addition to hydrogen, however, this process also produces carbon dioxide.

Among other types of extraction, probably the cleanest is that of so-called “green hydrogen“. As already explained in our last article on the energy transition, hydrogen is produced here with the help of renewable energies such as sun, wind or water. This is the only completely greenhouse gas-free option for production. So if you want to produce green hydrogen independently, you should opt for this process.

Are you planning a hydrogen plant or are you interested in the topic?
Feel free to contact us:

Ulrich Pynappel
weyer gruppe | horst weyer und partner
Tel.: +49 (0) 24 21 – 69 09 11 73
E-Mail: u.pynappel@weyer-gruppe.com