When President George W. Bush announced his hydrogen fuel initiative in 2003, he sent companies scrambling to learn how hydrogen cars work, launching research designed to determine how to create a powerful alternative to engines that run on nothing but fuel. fossil fuels.
Hydrogen cars work because they are powered by fuel cells, which are also known as electrochemical energy conversion devices. These cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into water. This means that electricity is generated in a more efficient way, while producing less pollution than typical sources of power creation.
How is a fuel cell that powers hydrogen cars different from a traditional battery that we can find in our own car or truck? It is easy. A traditional battery contains the chemicals needed to produce electricity, but those ingredients are limited to what was originally put into the battery when it was made. When the supply of chemicals is depleted, the battery dies.
This is how hydrogen cars work. A hydrogen fuel cell works because the chemicals needed to generate electricity are constantly supplied. As long as the supply continues, electricity will continue to be produced. For this reaction to occur, a fuel cell requires four main parts: the anode, the cathode, the electrolyte, and the catalyst, to work together. Hydrogen cars run only when the fuel cell is running at full strength; this means that hydrogen is pumped into the anode, while the cathode takes in oxygen. The anode and catalyst work together to split the hydrogen cells, separating electrons, which are sent down a wire where they bond with protons. It is this process that creates an electrical current that powers cars.
A fuel cell that receives hydrogen and oxygen generates electricity, heat and water. That’s the beauty of how hydrogen cars work. The fuel cell creates an end product that is the creation of heat and water, which is not harmful to the environment. In contrast, consider that the internal combustion engine, which powers most cars today, uses fossil fuels. These fuels, which include diesel, gasoline and natural gas, generate carbon and sulfur emissions into the atmosphere.
Many companies are researching hydrogen fuel cells, not only to determine how effective they will be for consumers, but also how making hydrogen cars work may affect the bottom line for automakers.