History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
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History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a boom in hydrogen vehicles that were gradually introduced to the global market.

If you're the type of person who still hasn't figured out DVD players and you'd rather your technological advances move at the speed of a tortoise than a hare, the concept of hydrogen cars may make you yearn for the days when pennies ruled the roads. - farthings. 

Hydrogen-powered vehicles may seem scary from the future, but it's a transportation technology that's been around for much longer than you actually think. 

Who made the first hydrogen car? 

The first hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle was more like a torture device than something that could get you there reliably, and it was created by Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz in 1807 using a hot air balloon filled with hydrogen. hydrogen and oxygen. Technically, this could be called the first hydrogen car, although the first modern hydrogen vehicle did not appear until more than 150 years later. 

History of hydrogen fuel cells

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

When life was cool enough that the average person could have three jobs at the same time (it was 1847), chemist, lawyer, and physicist William Grove invented a working fuel cell, also known as a device that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen. into electricity, which gave him the right to brag about the inventor of the fuel cell.

The history of fuel cells began when Groves' work was expanded upon by English engineer Francis Thomas Bacon between 1939 and 1959, when the first modern fuel cell vehicle was an Allis-Chalmers agricultural tractor fitted with a 15 kW fuel cell in late 1950. XNUMXth years. 

The first road vehicle to use a fuel cell was the daintily named Chevrolet Electrovan, which arrived in 1966 from General Motors and boasted a range of around 200 km and a top speed of 112 km/h. 

Hydrogen was primarily used as a fuel source for space shuttles in the 1980s and 90s, but by 2001 the first 700 bar (10000 psi) hydrogen tanks came into play, a game-changer as this technology could be used in vehicles and extend the flight range. 

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The late 2000s and early 2010s saw a boom in hydrogen vehicles that were gradually introduced to the global market. In 2008, Honda released the FCX Clarity which was available for rental to customers in Japan and Southern California, although it was moved to a large sky car park in 2015.

About 20 other hydrogen-powered vehicles have been produced as prototypes or demos, including the F-Cell hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV, not "FCV" as some people call it) from Mercedes-Benz, the HydroGen4 from General motors. and Hyundai ix35 FCEV.

Hydrogen cars: what is, what will be in the near future 

Hyundai Nexo

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The case for hydrogen-powered cars as a viable transportation option gained momentum when Hyundai launched the Nexo in Korea in 2018, where it sold over 10,000 units at a price equivalent to AU$84,000. 

The Nexo is also being sold in the US (in the green state of California), the UK and Australia, where it is available for special lease to government and big business from March 2021, making it the first ever FCEV to be commercially available on our shores. 

Currently, Nexo's only fueling location in New South Wales is Hyundai's headquarters in Sydney, although there is a semi-state gas station in Canberra where the government has leased a number of hydrogen FCEVs. 

The onboard hydrogen gas storage can hold 156.5 liters, while the Nexo is able to travel 666 km on a 120 kW/395 Nm electric motor.

Refueling the Nexo - and all hydrogen cars - takes just a few minutes, which is a big advantage over electric cars that take anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours to charge. 

Toyota Mirai

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The first generation Mirai FCEV appeared in Japan in 2014, and the recently released second generation version has already made a splash in the media, setting a world record for mileage of 1,360 km on a full tank of 5.65 kg of hydrogen.

Like Hyundai, Toyota is hoping Australia's hydrogen refueling infrastructure will be rolled out quickly so it can sell its FCEVs to consumers, and Australia's leased Mirais can currently only refuel at one Toyota-owned location in Alton, Victoria. 

The volume of onboard hydrogen storage is 141 liters, and the cruising range is 650 km.

H2X Varrego

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

Australian startup FCEV H2X Global will begin deliveries of its Warrego ute hydrogen engine in April 2022. 

The pre-travel price tags are not for the faint of heart: $189,000 for the Warrego 66, $235,000 for the Warrego 90, and $250,000 for the Warrego XR.

Onboard hydrogen tanks weigh 6.2 kg (range 500 km) or 9.3 kg (range 750 km).

Also…

History of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles

The Hyundai Staria FCEV is in development, as are FCEVs from Kia, Genesis, Ineos Automotive (Grenadier 4×4) and Land Rover (iconic Defender).

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