Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles mainly consist of a high-pressure gas storage tank, a hydrogen fuel cell stack, a fuel cell booster, a power battery pack, a drive motor, and a power control unit.
Working principle of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
Inside the fuel cell stack, a reaction occurs where hydrogen and oxygen combine, involving charge transfer and generating an electric current. Simultaneously, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce water.
As a chemical reaction vessel, the most critical technology in a fuel cell stack is the "proton exchange membrane." Catalyst layers are attached tightly to both sides of this membrane, which decomposes hydrogen into charged ions. Because hydrogen molecules are small, electron-carrying hydrogen molecules can pass through the tiny pores of the membrane to the other side. However, as electron-carrying hydrogen molecules pass through these pores, electrons are stripped from the molecules, leaving only positively charged hydrogen protons to reach the other end of the membrane.
Hydrogen protons are attracted to the electrode on the other side of the thin film and combine with oxygen molecules. The electrode plates on both sides of the film split hydrogen gas into positively charged hydrogen ions and electrons, and split oxygen gas into oxygen atoms to capture electrons and become negatively charged oxygen ions. Electrons form an electric current between the electrode plates, and two hydrogen ions and one oxygen ion combine to form water, which becomes the only "waste" in this reaction process. Essentially, the entire process is a power generation process. As the oxidation reaction proceeds, the continuous transfer of electrons generates the current needed to drive the car.
Advantages of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
1. Excellent energy-saving and environmental protection performance
Throughout the entire operation of a hydrogen fuel cell, besides consuming oxygen and air, no other energy is consumed. There is no need for refueling or charging, making its energy-saving performance undeniable. Furthermore, the hydrogen fuel cell stack only produces water during the electricity generation process, thus its greatest advantage is truly achieving the goal of "zero emissions."
2. Easy to implement
The practical application of hydrogen-powered engines is relatively easy to achieve. Traditional internal combustion engines can be modified to run on hydrogen with only minor modifications. Furthermore, they can fully utilize existing global automotive engine production lines and supporting facilities, making them the most economical and widely used hydrogen energy application solution for automotive engines. In addition, hydrogen internal combustion engines do not have the same stringent requirements for hydrogen fuel purity as fuel cells, and traditional automakers already possess extensive experience in internal combustion engine applications.
3. Refueling time is comparable to that of gasoline vehicles.
The process of refueling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is very quick and convenient. Dedicated hydrogen refueling equipment can fill the hydrogen fuel in just 3 minutes. Compared with the long charging wait time of pure electric vehicles, its advantages are obvious.
4. Performance rivals that of gasoline-powered vehicles
The Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, is equipped with an electric motor on each axle, with a maximum output of 85 kW and a maximum torque of 270 Nm, for a total power output of 170 kW and a torque of up to 540 Nm. The car accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 7.9 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h, comparable to gasoline-powered vehicles.
