Fossil fuels are not a sustainable way to power a car. It is as simple as that. Sooner or later, an alternative is going to need to be adapted through society. Over the summer, I was able to build and test a hydrogen fuel cell. The best way to describe a hydrogen fuel cell is that is a source of electricity, similar to a battery, while acting more like an engine in a car by the way it is fueled. A hydrogen fuel cell’s only emission is water, unlike the greenhouse gasses produced in cars. So can it be a substitution to conventional car engines.

Electricity is simply the movement of electrons. A lithium-ion battery, the battery that is in smartphones, works by storying chemical potential energy and using chemical reactions within the battery to create the flow of electrons, and therefore electricity. Car companies, have been trying to use forms of lithium-ion batteries in cars. Tesla has been able to produce their Model S, a car that can have a 300 mile range per charge. The issue with these type of cars, is that the refuel, in this case the recharge, takes too long.

What is convenient about the conventional car is that you can fuel up on gas in minutes and be back on the road. Hydrogen fuel cells combine the best of these. These cells use hydrogen gas and splits it into its positive ion and its electron. It then forces the electron through a separate path to produce the electricity, and combines it back at the end to create the byproduct of water.

In a perfect world, this would have the end results similar to a battery by producing electricity, while still having the convenience that society is used to with gasoline engines. This is while the fuel cell will have zero toxic emissions. But this world is not perfect, there are issues yet to be tackled with fuel cells.

First, hydrogen gas is extremely flammable  Combine that with an accident that punctures the fuel tank and there is a chance for a big explosion. For fuel cells to be feasible in cars, a method of neutralizing the hydrogen gas in case of an accident will need to be developed. This is not the only issue though.

One of the main components in a fuel cell is platinum. It is essential in splitting up the hydrogen gas. Unfortunately, platinum is expensive and not environmentally friendly to mine, which undermines the whole goal of these fuel cells. An alternative to platinum that can still split the hydrogen gas at an efficient rate will need to be devised.

Finally, the creation of hydrogen gas takes energy. If the hydrogen fuel cell does not efficiently use the hydrogen gas, then there is energy lost which is not good. Keep in mind that steel engines have an efficiency of around 20%. The infrastructure of hydrogen gas is not as robust as the electricity infrastructure. Refueling stations for hydrogen gas would need to be created for fuel cells to be usable in society.

With these setbacks, will hydrogen fuel cells be the future of cars. I think it is plausible. Keep in mind that there are other energy options; solar, wind, electric, etc. Hydrogen fuel cells are unlike the other alternatives because it avoids the inconsistencies found in solar and wind and the slow refuel in electric. The feasibility of hydrogen fuel cells within society is dependent on whether people are willing to invest the money to solve the flammability, platinum, and efficiency issues. An alternative needs to be found to replace the fossil fuels in conventional cars. It is just a matter of which alternative.