| A hydrogen vehicle, as the name suggests, is | | | | hydrogen fuel cells are also fragile thus making them |
| powered by hydrogen instead of gasoline, as is the | | | | unreliable for use in vibrations and bumps generated |
| case in contemporary vehicles. The vehicles can be | | | | by automobiles. Most hydrogen engines require the |
| buses, cargo bikes, PHB bikes, trains, motorcycles, | | | | use of rare catalysts such as platinum, thus making |
| golf-carts, wheelchairs, airplanes, ships, submarines | | | | the cost even more prohibitive. Engineers are |
| and even rockets. Such vehicles convert hydrogen | | | | however researching on what else can be used as a |
| into energy through electro-chemical conversion | | | | catalyst in order to lower the costs. Nickel-tin is a |
| (Fuel-cell conversion) or combustion. In the | | | | nonmetal catalyst that is under serious consideration |
| electro-chemical conversion engines, hydrogen reacts | | | | by the engineers. |
| with oxygen to produce electricity and water. The | | | | Another hindrance in the development of hydrogen |
| electricity powers the traction motor. In the | | | | vehicles is the fact that the fuel cell can solidify in |
| combustion engines on the other hand, hydrogen is | | | | freezing conditions. This means that the Hydrogen |
| combusted in engine similar to the traditional | | | | vehicles are only operational on temperatures above |
| combustion engines in contemporary vehicles. | | | | 32 F or 0 Celsius. However, this concern is mainly |
| Extracting hydrogen power for use in vehicles is a | | | | before engine start-up since the engine can generate |
| complex process. Hydrogen and Oxygen are the two | | | | enough heat to maintain enough operational |
| natural elements that make water. Hydrogen is not | | | | temperatures. To solve this problem, engineers think |
| regarded as a source of energy but a carrier of the | | | | that the inclusion of a pre-heating device or the use |
| same mainly because extracting the same from | | | | of a fuel cell that has some form of heating element |
| water takes much energy. To date, there is no | | | | would solve this problem. |
| efficient technology for use in extracting hydrogen | | | | There are also concerns about the service life of |
| energy. Even established car makers like Ford Motor | | | | hydrogen vehicles. Although the service life in cycling |
| Company and Renault-Nissan have dropped plans to | | | | has been confirmed 7,300 hours, the target for |
| develop hydrogen cars mainly because of the costs | | | | heavy-duty vehicles such as buses is still under |
| involved and the lack of a reliable hydrogen | | | | research. In such vehicles, the target of service life is |
| production plants. | | | | set at 30,000 hours. Large-scale development of |
| The most definite utilization of hydrogen in vehicles is | | | | hydrogen vehicles would lead to decreased green |
| evident in rockets. This is mainly based on the gas's | | | | house gases emissions since hydrogen fuels do not |
| ability to give the high exhaust velocity and low net | | | | produce carbon dioxide. For this to happen however, |
| weight to the propellant. In airplanes, the use of | | | | engineers and researchers must overcome the |
| hydrogen engines is still in the trial phase. The major | | | | challenges presented in the production, transportation |
| obstacle in the development of hydrogen vehicles is | | | | and storage of the hydrogen-powered vehicles. |
| mainly cost related. In addition to the high costs, the | | | | |