Technology Description
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) convert the chemical energy of hydrogen and air into electric power. FCEVs for bus applications offer advantages to the incumbent and alternative technologies, including long-range, sizing (FCEV have much smaller batteries than battery electric vehicles – at least by a factor of 10 –) fast refuelling, ability to address longer and more power-demanding routes, and zero tail-pipe emissions (they only emit water). By exploiting the higher gravimetric energy density of hydrogen, FCEVs can offer a higher range than BEVs. However, their continuing deployment faces multiple technical and economic challenges, including safety of hydrogen handling (refuelling, residual leakage), on-board hydrogen storage (see the dedicated entry below) and the high cost of the fuel cell stack (the electrochemical reaction inside the stack requires a proton exchange membrane (PEM) coated with a platinum-based catalyst, a costly material) and system. Costs of the fuel cell stack and system are expected to decline significantly with economies of scale.
For FCEVs to be competitive with other powertrain technologies, hydrogen must be delivered to hydrogen refuelling stations at prices that bring per kilometre costs into the same range as conventional ICEs, or of battery electric vehicles powered by grid electricity. This will require further cost reductions in technologies for low- and zero-carbon hydrogen production technologies (e.g., SMR with CCS, renewable electricity generation such as wind and solar coupled to electrolysers), as well as in hydrogen transmission and distribution networks and in hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS).
FCEV buses have been widely and successfully demonstrated in Asia, Europe and North America. Further cost reductions in fuel cell technology and in hydrogen fuel will expand markets. Costs of the fuel cell stack and system are expected to decline significantly with economies of scale achieved with fuel cell adoption in other applications such for medium -and heavy-duty trucks.
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