Hydrogen

1
Hydrogen

• An Alternative Fuel For
• Automobiles
• By K. Dzwonkowski

From H
To Fuel
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2
The Need for Alternative Fuels
-Current Supply of Fossil Fuels may be exhausted
by the year 2030. -By the year 2025, petroleum
production will decrease dramatically. -The
political instability in the Middle East will
cause the price of petroleum to continue to
increase. -The United States is becoming
dependent on foreign nations for their petroleum
needs and is, therefore, causing a decline in
their status as a world leader. -The United
States Foreign Policy would not have to consider
the OPEC Factor in making decisions concerning
world affairs.
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Why Hydrogen is the Bestof all the Rest

• Hydrogen is a stable element.
• Hydrogen can be produced from biomass (plant
  matter). This is excellent because the United
  States has huge agricultural resources.
• Hydrogen is renewable.
• Hydrogen is the most abundant element on earth
  making up 75 percent of our environment.
• A pound of hydrogen holds more energy than any
  other material.
• Hydrogen is clean burning great for our
  atmosphere. Fuel cell cars have no exhaust
  emissions.
• In its gaseous state, hydrogen is non-toxic and
  burns invisibly.
• Hydrogen is odorless no nauseating fumes to
  inhale.

4
Current Usages of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel
for Automobiles

• Honda Motor Company plans to have 50,000 fuel
  cell cars by 2010. Hydrogen to be used to run the
  fuel cells. The cars power and range of driving
  have increased over the past years.
• Fed-Ex and UPS plan to phase in hydrogen powered
  trucks over the next five years.
• General Motors has already designed and built
  model fuel cells and plan to have a
  production-ready hydrogen model available by
  2010.
• Daimler-Chrysler has 100 fuel cell cars and buses
  in operation using hydrogen as their fuel.
  Thirty-six of the buses have 75,000 hours of
  operation and 1.1 million kilometers of travel.
• Both Chevron and Shell have opened hydrogen
  fueling stations in California and Washington
  D.C. Los Angeles will soon have 21 stations while
  San Francisco will have eight.

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Current Usages of Hydrogen as an Alternative Fuel
for Automobiles (Cont.)

• Ford Motor Company has developed an engine that
  is optimized to burn hydrogen. The engine can
  reach an overall efficiency of 38 percent. This
  is about 25 percent more fuel-efficient than a
  typical gasoline engine. The engine is comparable
  to Fords 2.3 liter engine used in the Ford
  Ranger.
• From 2000-2005, 65 light-duty trucks using fuel
  cells were placed into use in Los Angeles. The
  trucks have logged more than 220,000 miles.

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Hydrogen Fuel Cell versusGasoline Powered
Internal Combustion

• Hydrogen Gasoline
• Fuel Cell Powered
• Water vapor .25 lb/mile .39 lb/mile
• Carbon dioxide .00 lb/mile .85 lb/mile
• Nitrogen oxides 0g/mile .3-.5g/mile
• Unburned
• hydrocarbons none present

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Converting to a Hydrogen Based Fuel

• The U.S. Government needs to increase their
  financial support of the program. (The support
  needed can be compared to the Race to the Moon
  campaign. The government heavily supported this
  program in order to be the first to put a man on
  the moon. The same support needs to be given to
  make the United States the first to convert to
  a hydrogen based economy. The United States
  currently lags behind countries such as Europe
  and Japan in converting to alternative fuels.)
• With increased government support, current
  gasoline stations could be converted to hydrogen
  stations. People cannot buy and use cars fueled
  by hydrogen if there is no way to obtain the
  hydrogen fuel. This will require major
  restructuring of current stations, however, it
  would be a one time cost that will assuredly be
  recouped many times over.
• A five-cent tax per gallon on gasoline could
  defray part of the cost of converting to the use
  of hydrogen. The tax would be eliminated once
  the conversion has taken place.

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Converting to a Hydrogen Based Fuel- Cont.

• Incentives for buying fuel cell cars and for
  investing in hydrogen technology needs
  increasing. The incentives could include tax
  rebates for the purchase, preferential parking
  and free registration for fuel cell cars.
• The problem of storing the hydrogen fuel in cars
  needs addressing. Currently, the area needed for
  a car to go 300 or more miles between fill-ups
  would require a tank about the size of a trunk.
• Distribution system for hydrogen will need
  developing. Current system of storing and
  transporting hydrogen is expensive. However,
  with increased government support and the
  increased usage of the fuel, the price will go
  down and the profits will go up for the
  businesses involved in distributing the product.

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Concluding Facts

• The usage of hydrogen holds the promise of ending
  the U.S.s dependence on foreign countries.
• Fuel cells generate electricity from a catalyst
  induced chemical reaction between hydrogen and
  oxygen ions in a cell. This process produces the
  by-products water and heat when pure hydrogen is
  used. The fact that hydrogen fuel will be
  environmentally friendly is an advantageous
  attribute. The current damage being imposed on
  the environment can be slowed down dramatically.
• It has been predicted that it is possible to
  change from a petroleum based economy to a
  hydrogen based economy by the year 2038. This is
  a realistic, however slightly optimistic, target
  date.
• Once hydrogen is used commercially, thousands of
  jobs will be created in the United States (not in
  foreign countries). Jobs created includes
  scientific research and development,
  manufacturing, construction, and sales.
• Hydrogen production will be good for our economy
  it can be produced here and will not need
  importing.

10
GO HYDROGEN!

• The United States is fast approaching a time when
  the need for
• an alternative fuel will not be an option it
  will be a requirement.
• The best answer in many ways is hydrogen. A lot
  of research and
• development needs conducting before this dream
  can become
• a reality but it is feasible and it is
  desirable.

H2
H2
H2
H2
H2
H2
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References

• California Energy Commission. (2006 June).
  Hydrogen as a transportation
• fuel. Retrieved March 18, 2008, from
  http//www.energy.ca.gov/2005publications/CEC-600-
  2005-027/CEC 600-2005-027-FS.PDF
• Kiefer, I. (1979). Energy for America.
  Crawfordsville, Indiana R.R. Donnelley Sons.
• Kushnir, P. (2000, May/June). Hydrogen as an
  alternative fuel. Army Logistician. Retrieved
  March 16, 2008, from http//www.almc.army.mil/alog
  /issues/MayJun00/MS492.htm
• Reynolds, W. D. (2006, May 24). The next step -
  conversion to the solar-hydrogen economy.
  Retrieved March 15, 2008, from
• http//www.beyondfossilfuel.com/hydrogen/reynolds
  .html

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References (Cont.)

• Saunders, R., Nuccio, S., Seafeldt, A., Meboe,
  K. (n.d.) Hydrogen-powered cars. Retrieved March
  18, 2008, from http//www.meboe.com/kevin/hydrogen
  /hydrogen.html
• Schwartz, P. Randall, D. (2003, April). How
  hydrogen can save America.
• Wired, Issue 11.04. Retrieved March 17, 2008,
  from http//www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.04/hydr
  ogen.html
• United States Department of Energy Alternative
  Fuel Advanced Vehicles Data Center. (2008, Feb
  26). Alternative advanced fuels. Retrieved
  March 17, 2008, from http//www.eere.energy.gov/af
  dc/fuels/hydrogen.html