Why Public Transport Needs to Be Part of the Discussion for Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Hydrogen has the potential to revolutionize the transportation sector. Amid the EV hype, discussions about riding buses, trains and planes seem to have fallen by the wayside, lost in a tidal wave of electric buzzwords — but current Li-ion batteries are far too heavy to power large vehicles. Hydrogen fuel is shaping up to be a viable option to decarbonize the planet. 

What’s Wrong With Electric Batteries? 

Lithium-ion batteries have just the right weight-to-energy ratio a passenger vehicle needs. They’re heavy but provide enough juice for a car to drive a few hundred miles. Lithium-powered EVs are much cheaper to manufacture and charge than hydrogen vehicles, so they reign supreme as the most common eco-friendly passenger vehicle on the market. 

However, scaling up creates problems. For example, a Boeing 747 would need a 6.7-million-pound battery to power a 4,000-mile flight, which is logistically impossible. Even powering an electric bus requires an overhead connection or extremely heavy battery, which reduces the number of passengers who can ride the bus. 

That’s where hydrogen comes in. 

Powering Public Transportation

Reducing the number of drivers on the road is crucial for mitigating climate change. Passenger cars accounted for 41% of carbon dioxide emissions in 2020. Shared mobility — rideshares, carpooling and other forms of doubling up in personal vehicles — is one way to address the issue. However, people who don’t own a car must rely on public transportation. 

A study by the EPA and Federal Transit Administration found that public transit reduces emissions by up to 76% per passenger mile compared to single-passenger vehicles. Converting all public transportation to hydrogen power would positively impact climate change. 

It wouldn’t happen overnight — governments would need to improve infrastructure to support sustainable vehicles. Installing hydrogen refueling stations is a top priority since there were just 685 operational stations worldwide as of 2021. They’re also more expensive to build than electric vehicle charging stations. However, hydrogen provides much more power in a much smaller package, making it ideal for transforming the transportation sector. 

Fuel Cells vs. Internal Combustion Engines

There are two types of hydrogen vehicles, but only one is appropriate for public transit. The first, called a hydrogen internal combustion engine vehicle (HICEV), isn’t truly emission-free. Although the internal combustion process doesn’t use any carbon-based inputs, it emits nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere, which strongly contributes to climate change. Its polluting properties make it a poor choice for public transportation.

The second type, called a fuel cell vehicle, uses a hydrogen fuel cell to power an electric motor. Hydrogen and oxygen go in, and nothing but water vapor comes out. It’s a truly eco-friendly model if you use sustainably produced hydrogen. 

Using only green hydrogen — which manufacturers produce by separating water molecules via electrolysis — makes it possible to create sustainable hydrogen fuel. This process is much more expensive than steam reforming, which combines water and fossil fuels to produce gray hydrogen and carbon dioxide. However, as the price decreases, green hydrogen will likely play a key role in powering public transportation.

The Way Forward

As the most abundant element on Earth, hydrogen is a viable alternative to fossil fuels and lithium-ion batteries. Although the current process for producing it sustainably is expensive, climate change will be costlier in the long run, so it’s high time manufacturers switch to green hydrogen. Batteries are just too heavy for now.

Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Fuel Cells Works, its directors, partners, staff, contributors, or suppliers. Any content provided by our contributors or authors are of their own opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.