Development of electromobility is already an established element of the global economic landscape, most strongly visible in Western Europe, the USA, Japan and China. The visible growth of sales of electric vehicles is supported by the regulatory environment created by governments and cities interested in reaping the benefits of the decarbonisation of transport, reduction of air pollution, as well as the safety and efficiency of the energy system.
However, battery electric vehicles (BEV) are not the only way to achieve zero emissions in the automotive sector. Hydrogen, which is currently used for various industrial applications, could ultimately also be widely used in the energy and transport sectors, while hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) could become one of the key options for consumers in the future of modern mobility.
A hydrogen economy
The vision of a green, hydrogen economy assumes that hydrogen could be produced from water through electrolysis, storing surplus electricity in the short term, in which the only reaction by-product is oxygen. The fuel produced in this way would then be used in fuel cells, where, without combustion, the reverse reaction would occur – hydrogen, combining with oxygen, would generate electricity, heat and water.
Although energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness of this process are some of the biggest barriers to the development and implementation of this technology, it remains one of the most interesting options for the ecological management of energy surpluses. The issue of cost-effectiveness remains subjected to the adopted climate policy and detailed legislative solutions in the future.
Therefore, we must consider two options of producing hydrogen: through electrolysis, which is still not cost-effective, or with the use of fossil fuels (e.g. methane steam reforming, hydrogen separation from coke-oven gas, oil production), which, by providing access to cheap fuel, will make it possible to popularise the use of hydrogen.
