Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars

Due to the large quantities of carbon emissions generated by the transportation sector, cleaner automotive technologies are needed aiming at a green energy transition. In this scenario, hydrogen is pointed out as a promising fuel that can be employed as the fuel of either a fuel cell or an internal...

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Main Authors: Kirill Durkin, Ali Khanafer, Philip Liseau, Adam Stjernström-Eriksson, Arvid Svahn, Linnéa Tobiasson, Tatiana Santos Andrade, Jimmy Ehnberg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-02-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1085
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author Kirill Durkin
Ali Khanafer
Philip Liseau
Adam Stjernström-Eriksson
Arvid Svahn
Linnéa Tobiasson
Tatiana Santos Andrade
Jimmy Ehnberg
author_facet Kirill Durkin
Ali Khanafer
Philip Liseau
Adam Stjernström-Eriksson
Arvid Svahn
Linnéa Tobiasson
Tatiana Santos Andrade
Jimmy Ehnberg
author_sort Kirill Durkin
collection DOAJ
description Due to the large quantities of carbon emissions generated by the transportation sector, cleaner automotive technologies are needed aiming at a green energy transition. In this scenario, hydrogen is pointed out as a promising fuel that can be employed as the fuel of either a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine vehicle. Therefore, in this work, we propose the design and modeling of a fuel cell versus an internal combustion engine passenger car for a driving cycle. The simulation was carried out using the quasistatic simulation toolbox tool in Simulink considering the main powertrain components for each vehicle. Furthermore, a brief analysis of the carbon emissions associated with the hydrogen production method is addressed to assess the clean potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles compared to conventional fossil fuel-fueled cars. The resulting analysis has shown that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is almost twice as efficient compared to internal combustion engines, resulting in a lower fuel consumption of 1.05 kg-H<sub>2</sub>/100 km in the WLTP driving cycle for the fuel cell vehicle, while the combustion vehicle consumed about 1.79 kg-H<sub>2</sub>/100 km. Regarding using different hydrogen colors to fuel the vehicle, hydrogen-powered vehicles fueled with blue and grey hydrogen presented higher carbon emissions compared to petrol-powered vehicles reaching up to 2–3 times higher in the case of grey hydrogen. Thus, green hydrogen is needed as fuel to keep carbon emissions lower than conventional petrol-powered vehicles.
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spelling doaj.art-54958e276d524032b7cfe3f8c79efcd92024-03-12T16:43:16ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732024-02-01175108510.3390/en17051085Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine CarsKirill Durkin0Ali Khanafer1Philip Liseau2Adam Stjernström-Eriksson3Arvid Svahn4Linnéa Tobiasson5Tatiana Santos Andrade6Jimmy Ehnberg7Department of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDepartment of Electrical Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, 41296 Göteborg, SwedenDue to the large quantities of carbon emissions generated by the transportation sector, cleaner automotive technologies are needed aiming at a green energy transition. In this scenario, hydrogen is pointed out as a promising fuel that can be employed as the fuel of either a fuel cell or an internal combustion engine vehicle. Therefore, in this work, we propose the design and modeling of a fuel cell versus an internal combustion engine passenger car for a driving cycle. The simulation was carried out using the quasistatic simulation toolbox tool in Simulink considering the main powertrain components for each vehicle. Furthermore, a brief analysis of the carbon emissions associated with the hydrogen production method is addressed to assess the clean potential of hydrogen-powered vehicles compared to conventional fossil fuel-fueled cars. The resulting analysis has shown that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle is almost twice as efficient compared to internal combustion engines, resulting in a lower fuel consumption of 1.05 kg-H<sub>2</sub>/100 km in the WLTP driving cycle for the fuel cell vehicle, while the combustion vehicle consumed about 1.79 kg-H<sub>2</sub>/100 km. Regarding using different hydrogen colors to fuel the vehicle, hydrogen-powered vehicles fueled with blue and grey hydrogen presented higher carbon emissions compared to petrol-powered vehicles reaching up to 2–3 times higher in the case of grey hydrogen. Thus, green hydrogen is needed as fuel to keep carbon emissions lower than conventional petrol-powered vehicles.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1085hydrogen fuelhydrogen fuel cellfuel cell vehicleHFCVICEHICEV
spellingShingle Kirill Durkin
Ali Khanafer
Philip Liseau
Adam Stjernström-Eriksson
Arvid Svahn
Linnéa Tobiasson
Tatiana Santos Andrade
Jimmy Ehnberg
Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
Energies
hydrogen fuel
hydrogen fuel cell
fuel cell vehicle
HFCV
ICE
HICEV
title Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
title_full Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
title_fullStr Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
title_full_unstemmed Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
title_short Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles: Comparing the Powertrain Efficiency and Sustainability of Fuel Cell versus Internal Combustion Engine Cars
title_sort hydrogen powered vehicles comparing the powertrain efficiency and sustainability of fuel cell versus internal combustion engine cars
topic hydrogen fuel
hydrogen fuel cell
fuel cell vehicle
HFCV
ICE
HICEV
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/5/1085
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