Beyond the Battery: Evaluating Hydrogen and Methanol Fuel Cells for Sustainable Ground Transportation
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Campus
Daytona Beach
Status
Student
Student Year and Major
Sophomore, Aerospace Engineering
Presentation Description/Abstract
Most ground-based transportation currently uses either combustion engines or battery electric drive trains. Both technologies present different problems for maximizing sustainability and minimizing environmental impact. These problems include fuel availability, emissions, and battery chemistry. Fuel cells are an emerging technology that has the potential to address these challenges. Fuel cells use renewable fuels unlike most combustion engines, do not produce the same type or level of emissions, and use more abundant and less destructive chemicals than lithium ion or nickel cadmium batteries. The two most promising types of fuel cells are hydrogen and methanol. Hydrogen fuel cells are by far the cleanest and most mature coupled with one of the highest efficiencies of all fuel cells, but they require fuel that is difficult to produce and store. Methanol fuel cells are a much less developed technology and do produce some level of carbon dioxide emissions. However, methanol can be stored at room temperature, making it much more feasible for use in cars. Fuel cells have the potential to offer a practical transition away from combustion engines and towards cleaner vehicles. This research will compare the environmental impacts of both hydrogen and methanol fuel cells to each other, as well as to combustion engines and battery electrics for the purposes of ground transportation.
Keywords
Transportation, Fuel Cells, Emissions, Hydrogen, Methanol
Beyond the Battery: Evaluating Hydrogen and Methanol Fuel Cells for Sustainable Ground Transportation
Most ground-based transportation currently uses either combustion engines or battery electric drive trains. Both technologies present different problems for maximizing sustainability and minimizing environmental impact. These problems include fuel availability, emissions, and battery chemistry. Fuel cells are an emerging technology that has the potential to address these challenges. Fuel cells use renewable fuels unlike most combustion engines, do not produce the same type or level of emissions, and use more abundant and less destructive chemicals than lithium ion or nickel cadmium batteries. The two most promising types of fuel cells are hydrogen and methanol. Hydrogen fuel cells are by far the cleanest and most mature coupled with one of the highest efficiencies of all fuel cells, but they require fuel that is difficult to produce and store. Methanol fuel cells are a much less developed technology and do produce some level of carbon dioxide emissions. However, methanol can be stored at room temperature, making it much more feasible for use in cars. Fuel cells have the potential to offer a practical transition away from combustion engines and towards cleaner vehicles. This research will compare the environmental impacts of both hydrogen and methanol fuel cells to each other, as well as to combustion engines and battery electrics for the purposes of ground transportation.