Pondering Hydrogen’s Role In A Green Energy Future For Vehicles
When it comes to how green energy mixes with cars and trucks, electric vehicles get the bulk of attention.
Afterall, automakers have announced investments in new EV models and have formed partnerships to produce batteries. That trend also is a concern for the Detroit-based United Auto Workers union, which aims to protect the jobs of members amid the shift to EVs.
This week, an event at auto supplier Forvia in Auburn Hills, Michigan, sought to bring attention to hydrogen as a future fuel source for vehicles.
The company on Monday hosted a delegation of business leaders and politicians from Germany who were on a trade mission to Michigan. The event included a panel discussion of executives and officials from Michigan state government.
Essentially, the verdict was hydrogen will play a role in helping to reduce carbon emissions.
"Hydrogen is here to stay," said Nick Miller, vice president, Faurecia Hydrogen Storage Systems, North America. "It's a matter of time. The climate is changing. What we need is acceleration. We need to build a clean world for upcoming generations."
What follows are some highlights from the presentation.
—Size matters: Hydrogen may be more suited for larger vehicles, such as semi-trucks, rather than passenger vehicles.
"Medium and heavy-duty vehicles will be the first applications," said Jim Saber, president and CEO at Detroit-based NextEnergy .
Put another way, hydrogen can be an alternative for large vehicles now powered by diesel fuel. Passenger vehicles now powered by gasoline are seen as a better fit for battery power.
—Converting traditional engines to hydrogen: It's possible that some diesel-powered internal combustion engines could be converted to hydrogen fuel. That would involve tweaks to such engines but not the kind of overhaul related to hydrogen fuel cells. Such tweaked engines are known as H2ICE.
—Being complementary: Tarek Abdel-Baset, chief engineers for Forvia's Hydrogen Storage Systems-North America, said in years past advocates for EVs and hydrogen powered vehicles viewed themselves as being in competition.
"It was like a battle," he said. "We're no longer fighting."
"It's not one solution or the other solution," said Olaf Lies, minister for economic affairs, transport, building and digitalization of Lower Saxony in northwestern Germany. "You have to mix the solutions."
On the hydrogen side, Abdel-Baset added, there have been cycles of "euphoria and hangover."
—Challenges remain: More work is required before there is widespread adoption of hydrogen power.
"The heavy-duty infrastructure is not there," Abdel-Baset said. "The industry is waiting for that to roll out."
That may take time.
"We have to be realistic about what we can accomplish and when we can accomplish it," said NextEnergy's Saber.
"We do not have a consistent energy policy," he added. "It's really the states who are leading" with hydrogen development.
Hydrogen proponents also say costs need to be reduced.
"We have a long way to go," Lies said. "The cost of hydrogen at the moment is high."
