Hydrogen in Transportation
A public debate regarding the merits of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) continues to brew despite the obvious advantages of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Many comparisons have been made, including cost and lifetime emissions. We've posted about this previously in this blog.
We recently were invited to join Think Tech Hawaii's Jay Fidel to discuss FCEVs and BEVs, and it allowed us to further expound on the matter. The show included Hawaii EV board members Tam Hunt and Noel Morin. Tam was representing Think BIG.
Here are the highlights of our talk:
Maximizing energy efficiency is critical to our achieving our clean energy goals. We need to reduce the energy required for our systems, including transportation. This will reduce the scale of the renewable energy systems that must be implemented and reduce costs for our community.
The BEV is superior in efficiency, especially when well-to-wheel energy utilization is considered. You'll go three times further in a battery-electric car compared to a fuel cell electric car.
The fuel-cell platform is critical for more difficult problems. They help us decarbonize transportation sectors that are more challenging to electrify with the battery-electric powertrain. This includes long-range heavy transportation - ground and ocean freight and transoceanic aviation.
There are also several applications for hydrogen that will help us achieve our zero-emissions target. More research and investment are required to create the abundant renewable energy required for green hydrogen and its appropriate usage, e.g., transoceanic flight and freight, industrial processes, and grid storage.
We must insist on GREEN hydrogen. This is hydrogen produced using clean, renewable energy (not coal and gas). Our abundant renewable energy sources - solar, wind, wave, hydro, and geothermal - offer us the opportunity to create cheap green hydrogen.
We need to act FAST and SMART. Given our limited resources and the time required to address climate change and secure energy independence, we need to be laser-focused on how we apply our solutions, move forward with proven solutions, and invest energy and resources on the more challenging decarbonization challenges.
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