Hydrogen-powered cars

Article By:

Pinkerton, Frederick E. General Motors Research and Development Center, Warren, Michigan.

Herbst, Jan F. Physics Department, General Motors Research Laboratories, Warren, Michigan.

Last reviewed:2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB100255

Surprisingly, hydrogen was first used for automotive propulsion almost 2 centuries ago. Its use has not been widespread in part because it is an energy carrier, not a fuel, requiring energy input to extract it from water or other chemical compounds. Because of environmental issues relating to greenhouse gas emissions and criteria pollutants, and concerns about energy security, hydrogen has become an attractive alternative to fossil fuels for several reasons. First, hydrogen is available in vast amounts terrestrially, as it is bound in water and other chemical compounds. Second, combustion of hydrogen (H₂) with oxygen (O₂) yields only water vapor and heat. As a result, no carbon dioxide (CO₂), the major greenhouse gas of concern, is produced. Third, kilogram for kilogram, hydrogen in the molecular form (H₂) contains about three times the energy of gasoline, although gasoline is more attractive on a system basis (Fig. 1). And fourth, splitting water, the most abundant source of hydrogen, can be done via noncarbon energy sources in a variety of ways.

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