Asked by: Chae Zanforlin
automotive green vehicles

Is hydrogen an alternative fuel?

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Hydrogen is considered an alternative fuel under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. In fact, a fuel cell coupled with an electric motor is two to three times more efficient than an internal combustion engine running on gasoline. Hydrogen can also serve as fuel for internal combustion engines.


Correspondingly, is hydrogen a viable fuel alternative?

One hope for our energy future lies in hydrogen -- an infinitely renewable and relatively pollution-free fuel that scientists and politicians alike see as a viable alternative to fossil fuels. And if that wasn't enough, hydrogen fuel is about three times more efficient than gasoline [source: US News].

Also Know, what are alternative fuels an alternative to? Some well-known alternative fuels include bio-diesel, bio-alcohol (methanol, ethanol, butane), refuse-derived fuel, chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen, non-fossil methane, non-fossil natural gas, vegetable oil, propane and other biomass sources.

Keeping this in view, why is hydrogen not used as fuel?

Although hydrogen has the highest calorific value, it is not used as a domestic fuel. It is because hydrogen is a highly combustible and it reacts explosively when it comes in contact with air. So, even though hydrogen has the highest calorific value, it is not used as a domestic fuel.

Why is hydrogen fuel better for the environment than gasoline?

Hydrogen fuel cells have been widely touted as an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional fossil fuels. By oxidising molecular hydrogen, the only direct by-product of their energy generation is water, which means they could significantly reduce pollution and man-made greenhouse gases.

Related Question Answers

Manela Havertz

Professional

What are the disadvantages of hydrogen?

List of Disadvantages of Hydrogen Fuel Cells
  • It is expensive. While widely available, hydrogen is expensive.
  • It is difficult to store. Hydrogen is very hard to move around.
  • It is not easy to replace exiting infrastructure.
  • It is highly flammable.
  • It is dependent on fossil fuels.

Ozlem Daoud

Professional

What is bad about hydrogen?

When liquid hydrogen is stored in tanks, it's relatively safe, but if it escapes there are associated hazards. Topping the list of concerns is hydrogen burns. In the presence of an oxidizer -- oxygen is a good one -- hydrogen can catch fire, sometimes explosively, and it burns more easily than gasoline does.

Muhammed Hanaev

Professional

Why are hydrogen cars not popular?

One reason for the lack of hydrogen cars on our streets is the growing uptake of electric vehicles as the green alternative – with sales of pure EVs rising by 37 per cent year-on-year, it's easy for manufacturers to prioritise EVs over lesser-known tech. Another reason is infrastructure.

Nazia Wallbruck

Explainer

Why is Shell gas so expensive?

Since most end product stations have equal research, they can produce similar additives. The most likely scenarios for Shell gasoline to be more expensive is that their additive is more expensive to add, or that other stations are using the base gasoline from the local distributor refinery.

Veta Hevermann

Explainer

Are hydrogen cars better than electric?

Hydrogen vehicles are basically electric cars with a fuel tank. They boast the performance and instant torque of battery electric cars, while providing greater range than any pure EV on the market today. Lastly, refueling times are comparable to gasoline cars, obviating range anxiety and lengthy charging stops.

Pam Rodulph

Explainer

Is hydrogen fuel cheaper than gasoline?

While hydrogen is a cheaper fuel than gasoline on paper, the reality is, as of 2010, it is much more expensive. The few models of hydrogen-fueled cars that are commercially available generally cost more than $100,000. Researchers are still tweaking the technology to produce and transport hydrogen fuel.

Damarys Suils

Pundit

Could hydrogen fuel replace fossil fuels in the future?

Hydrogen fuel has always been seen as a promising alternative to fossil fuels because it burns clean, having no negative impact on the environment. To cause those necessary electrolysis reactions on a economic and industrial scale, you need to use a lot of methane, which is a fossil fuel itself.

Wangjun Remigio

Pundit

Is wood a fossil fuel?

Wood is a renewable resource. Fossil fuels contain what was once wood as well as plants, dead bodies of animals and other organic material. These are now coal, natural gas or crude oil.

Valerio Greindl

Pundit

Can a normal car engine run on hydrogen?

There are two major problems with a hydrogen internal combustion engine. Use hydrogen in a fuel cell to generate electricity. Fuel cells are far more efficient than internal combustion engines, and a hydrogen fuel cell has cleaner emissions than an internal-combustion hydrogen engine.

Nadia Ramchander

Pundit

Can a petrol car run on hydrogen?

There are two types of hydrogen engines. Say you have a petrol vehicle and convert it to run on hydrogen, your vehicle will still be able to run on petrol. This means you will be able to fill up your vehicle with hydrogen and when your vehicle runs out of hydrogen, you just swap back to petrol fuel.

Tomoko Bischleb

Pundit

Why are hydrogen engines a bad idea?

The biggest reason why hydrogen-combustion engines are no good? They create nitrogen oxide, which isn't good for people or the environment. Even though carbon isn't part of the hydrogen combustion process, NOx isn't a compromise as automakers look to zero-emission vehicles.

Richie Jucan

Teacher

Can a combustion engine run on hydrogen?

Hydrogen has a wide flammability range in comparison with all other fuels. As a result, hydrogen can be combusted in an internal combustion engine over a wide range of fuel-air mix- tures. A significant advantage of this is that hydrogen can run on a lean mixture.

Raoul Mingallon

Teacher

Why can't cars run on water?

Why can't cars run on water instead of gasoline? Using water to power cars is, unfortunately, only a pipe dream. Here's the problem, Cheng says: “A water molecule is very stable.” The energy needed to separate the atoms is greater than what you get back — this process actually soaks up energy instead of giving it out.

Pere Yebenes

Teacher

Why is hydrogen not used in everyday life?

We know from basic physics that gases are less dense i.e. they occupy more volume. So, hydrogen requires a large fuel tank for storage. Availability: Now, unlike other gases, hydrogen is not readily available in the atmosphere. It requires processes like electrolysis and steam reforming for production.

Naeem Baroo

Teacher

What are the pros and cons of hydrogen energy?

Hydrogen fuel cells
Pros: No vehicle emissions other than water vapor. Fuel economy equivalent to about twice that of gasoline vehicles. Hydrogen is abundant, and can be made from renewable energy. Cons: This space-age technology is expensive.

Vali Siegmundt

Reviewer

Is water powered car possible?

Yes, you can run your car on water. All it takes is to build a "water-burning hybrid" is the installation of a simple, often home-made electrolysis cell under the hood of your vehicle. There's even a Japanese company, Genepax, showing off a prototype that runs on nothing but water.

Qiumei Groder

Reviewer

Can we use hydrogen for cooking?

Any flammable gas can be used for cooking, run it through a burner, set it on fire, and it will give off heat. The only byproduct will be water vapor, so there's no danger to doing in indoors. First, natural gas is quite a bit cheaper. Second, hydrogen is just harder to work with.

Huerto Korsting

Reviewer

Which alternative fuel is best?

Here is our Top Eight list of alternative fuels.
  • Ethanol. An alcohol-based alternative fuel made by fermenting and distilling crops such as corn, barley or wheat.
  • Natural Gas.
  • Electricity.
  • Hydrogen.
  • Propane.
  • Biodiesel.
  • Methanol.
  • P-Series Fuels.

Tinixara Stamerjohann

Reviewer

What is the cleanest fuel?

What is the cleanest fossil fuel? Natural gas, composed primarily of methane, is the cleanest of all fossil fuels, producing only carbon dioxide and water vapor when it is burned. Coal and oil produce higher levels of harmful emissions, including nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide when burned.

Co-Authored By:

EveryThingWhat Staff Editor

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10th January, 2020

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