Tech & Auto
Another Kind Of H-Power: How Hydrogen Vehicle Engines Work
By JOE CAPRARO
While hydrogen fuel cell vehicles appeared poised to challenge hybrid and battery-powered electric vehicles as another green alternative to gas, the revolution never happened.
Similar to EVs, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are powered by electric motors. The energy comes from an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and a catalyst such as platinum.
The hydrogen gas is stored in a tank and channeled to a stack of fuel cells, where it is converted to electricity. The only emission from hydrogen vehicles is water vapor.
The catalyst is spread on both sides of the fuel cell, the anode and cathode. The hydrogen molecules are split into protons and electrons on the cell's anode side.
The protons mix with an ion-conducting polymer and pass to the cathode, where a reaction known as oxygen reduction takes place and the energy is created.
As hydrogen fuel cell systems don't produce electricity until they reach 50ºF, hydrogen-powered vehicles come with a lithium-ion battery to help start the process.