Increasing Incentives to Boost the Adoption of Hydrogen Vehicles.
In the quest to reduce vehicle emissions, the use of hydrogen fuel for truly sustainable transportation cannot be overlooked. As well as offering the potential for zero emissions, hydrogen cars can be refuelled quickly and easily. Heavy goods vehicles are hampered by the limited capacity of electric batteries but with more powerful and longer-lasting fuel cells, hydrogen also becomes a viable alternative for fueling large commercial and municipal trucks. However, there are currently fewer than 20,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles on the roads in the US and almost all are driven in California. In the UK last year, only 300 hydrogen vehicles including some buses were reported to be in use on the roads. One of the primary issues limiting the further use of hydrogen powered vehicles is the lack of refuelling infrastructure, but, with extensive government funding now available in both the US and UK for installing stations on major roads in urban and rural areas, the wider adoption of hydrogen fuelled vehicles could be boosted.
Expanding Refuelling Infrastructure
Refuelling a hydrogen car is a simple process similar to filling a car with gas and much quicker than charging an electric car. There has recently been increased interest in hydrogen vehicles and, if refuelling infrastructure were improved, over a third of company car drivers in the UK would consider driving a hydrogen vehicle. There are still only 6 hydrogen refuelling stations in the UK and 59 in the US, however, already 50 more are planned or currently in construction in California, Hawaii and the northeastern states. In the meantime, while more refuelling stations are being constructed, drivers looking to lower fuel emissions can choose hybrid vehicles that offer lower fuel emissions and efficient engine choices without compromising on power and driving range . While the majority of hybrid vehicles combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor, innovative plug-in hybrid cars that run on a combination of hydrogen fuel cell and a battery, and with an extensive range of up to 1,000km, are now becoming more widely available.
Investment and Incentives
To support further hydrogen infrastructure, substantial funding is being made available in both the US and UK. Last year, the Tees Valley Hydrogen Transport Hub in the North East of England received government funding of £13 million to cover the costs of more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and new refuelling infrastructure, with a view to collecting data on its usage in order to support future investment. On a much larger scale in the US, substantial government funding and incentives have been allocated to support the development and deployment of fuel cell technology as well as improving and expanding hydrogen infrastructure. The construction of more hydrogen fueling stations over the next 16 years to 2040 is the main priority of the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, and extra funding will help with the strategy’s implementation.
Powering Heavy Vehicles
The decarbonization of heavy and medium-duty trucks is vital in order to meet targets for lowering emissions. Heavy vehicles are currently responsible for roughly 25 percent of the greenhouse gases produced by the transportation sector and emissions are still increasing. Research into longer-lasting hydrogen fuel cells is of particular interest for sectors dependent on heavy duty vehicles. These include the environmental services industry which relies on refuse collection trucks. An illinois-based truck startup is producing heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell technology and has recently been demonstrating a refuse collection vehicle powered by a hydrogen fuel cell across the globe. Compared with electric vehicles, hydrogen fuelled refuse trucks are much lighter with potential for a greater payload. In addition, their range and regenerative engine power matches those fuelled by diesel or compressed natural gas so performance is not compromised.
Easily and quickly refuelled and producing zero emissions, hydrogen fuelled vehicles are a sustainable alternative to cars and trucks powered by gas, diesel or electricity. Uptake of hydrogen vehicles has been slower, however, with research into more powerful fuel cells for heavy vehicles, sectors reliant on trucks are considering the possibility of swapping their traditionally powered fleets for hydrogen fuelled vehicles. One of the main factors limiting the use of hydrogen trucks and passenger cars is the lack of fuelling infrastructure but with considerable government funding and incentives to construct more fuelling stations, their adoption could be considerably increased.
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Increasing Incentives to Boost the Adoption of Hydrogen Vehicles.
