How Hydrogen Cars Work - Hydrogen car information

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How Hydrogen Cars Work

How Hydrogen Cars Work is an article that will get into the basics of how exactly a hydrogen powered car works.

How Hydrogen Cars Work

A Car That Runs on Water? No Longer Science Fiction!

With gas now in some places in the US over $5 a gallon, and even higher in other locations in the world, a gasoline-free car is now becoming a holy grail for car manufacturers. Such a car has been invented and may be available at a local car lot soon. Hydrogen vehicles are now being used around the world, emitting instead of noxious carbon dioxide harmless water vapour.

Hydrogen vehicles—anything from scooters to airplanes—are vehicles that run on some sort of hydrogen fuel. Most hydrogen vehicles run on fuel cells, where hydrogen atoms are split and re-combined with oxygen, creating electricity to run the motor—not to mention environmentally-harmless water. Other hydrogen vehicles use standard, run-of-the-mill internal combustion engines, using a form of liquid hydrogen (either extremely pressurized or cooled) instead of gasoline.

Hydrogen has been powering life on Earth since the beginning of history. Our sun is nearly 75% hydrogen. Humans began using hydrogen to power electric motors in the early 1800s and Germany created the first hydrogen vehicle in the 1950s.

Hydrogen fuel cells work by splitting and recombining atoms inside the cell’s membranes and casings, allowing them to bond and unbond on a molecular level, which creates electricity.

However, hydrogen fuel cell cars have to get their hydrogen from somewhere, and energy is needed to “create” the hydrogen. While this energy can be made from “green” (or renewable) resources, it can also be made by not-so-green sources, such as coal burning, the burning of natural gas, or as a microbial waste product of decomposition.

Once the hydrogen is separated from other molecules in the water, it is chilled to a temperature of -253 C (-423 F) so it can be stored as a liquid and loaded into the hydrogen fuel station. It is pumped into the hydrogen car’s tank just like gasoline, and there it sits until the fuel cell needs a replenishment. The chilled liquid hydrogen enters the fuel cell, where the single proton and electron pair of the atom is split. Protons are sent one way; electrons are collected by the fuel cell to power the electric motor. Extra electrons are fused again to the proton, along with an oxygen atom, creating a water molecule—which simply exits out the exhaust pipe.

Today, major car manufacturers such as BMW and Mazda are experimenting with the hydrogen internal combustion engine, while Daimler-Chrysler, General Motors and Hyundai are focusing on fuel cells. A few companies, such as Ford, are researching both methods. Most of the hydrogen-powered vehicles are available now in Europe and Japan. BMW and Honda plan on releasing models to the general public in 2008.

If you're not in the market for a new car, you can try converting your current rig to hydrogen. Kits are available online to help your vehicle’s internal combustion engine use hydrogen to run. As hydrogen fuel stations become more prevalent, converting your current vehicle to run on hydrogen may be the most cost-effective method of running around town since running.

Thank you to Rachel Strong for this "How Hydrogen Cars Work" article.

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