{"id":24710,"date":"2022-08-22T12:59:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T11:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=24710"},"modified":"2025-01-22T11:47:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T11:47:30","slug":"hydrogen-power-redesign-automotive-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/hydrogen-power-redesign-automotive-industry\/24710\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydrogen power can redesign the automotive industry"},"content":{"rendered":"
As the most abundant element in the Universe, hydrogen is the input for nuclear fusion that powers our Sun. It is a key element in the fossil fuels that have powered society since the first industrial revolution. Furthermore, hydrogen as an energy carrier has major advantages over fossil fuels for mobility applications, particularly in the development of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).<\/p>\n
With bans on the production of new diesel and petrol-powered vehicles looming, encouraging widespread consumer uptake of more sustainable vehicle choices is an urgent matter. Uptake seems to be increasing \u2013 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)<\/a>, demand for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) more than doubled between November 2020 and November 2021. But if transport is to decarbonise before its 2050 deadline, there is more to do to make EVs carbon neutral.<\/p>\n Fully decarbonising BEVs is tricky. Using energy from the National Grid means that the sources used for electricity generation directly affect BEVs\u2019 environmental impact. The grid is becoming more renewable and is set to be net zero by 2050. But there is an added challenge. According to the Committee on Climate Change<\/a>, electricity demand is set to double from today\u2019s 300-terawatt-hour (TWh) requirement to 610 TWh by 2050, thanks to BEV uptake.<\/p>\n So, to complete the dual task of increasing supply and decarbonising electricity generation, the government is investing in dispatchable low carbon sources to support variable weather-dependent renewables in powering the grid when production falls short of demand. In the meantime, fossil-fuelled electricity generation is negatively impacting BEVs\u2019 sustainability.<\/p>\n BEVs also have some additional environmental concerns regarding their reliance on lithium-ion batteries. Critical metals including cobalt, nickel, and manganese are all major components of lithium-ion batteries. Mining these materials can result in huge environmental destruction, disrupting entire ecosystems, while the heavy machinery used contributes even more emissions. So, is there a more sustainable option?<\/p>\n Hydrogen is a promising resource that is key to delivering transport\u2019s decarbonised future. Industrial production of hydrogen is typically delivered through electrolysis \u2014 using an electrical current to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.<\/p>\n Across the globe, the hydrogen market is developing in leaps and bounds. Currently, Europe has one of the world\u2019s most developed hydrogen markets and is home to over half of all projects, according to the Hydrogen Council and McKinsey\u2019s Hydrogen Insights Reports 2021<\/a>. Both the UK and the EU have plans to develop their hydrogen power offering and have committed to reaching a production capacity of five gigawatts (GW) and 40 GW respectively by 2030.<\/p>\nBEVs\u2019 sustainability shortfalls<\/h3>\n
Hydrogen power: The fuel of the future<\/h3>\n