Madrid
Updated:05/06/2022 00:48h
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Although in Spain there is practically no infrastructure of hydrogen service stations for its use in the automotive industry, and only two hydrogen vehicles are for sale, this gas is called to be one of the keys to mobility without CO2 emissions in a more or less near future.
As for the production of hydrogen for use as an alternative fuel, there are currently multiple methods. The president of the Spanish Hydrogen Association, Javier Brey Brey, explains to this newspaper which are the most developed and the most “eco”.
A first method is the so-called “steam reforming of natural gas”. This process “combines methane (the main component of natural gas) with water vapor to produce carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen through an endothermic chemical reaction (it requires adding heat to the process).
It has been the traditional method, and the one that has been used the most to produce the hydrogen that the industry had been demanding.”
A second method is by electrolysis of water. Thus, using electricity, the water molecule is dissociated into its components (hydrogen and oxygen). Known for decades, “it is now making a strong comeback due to the improvement in electrolysis and the reduction in the price of renewable electrical energy that we have had in recent years,” according to the president of the Spanish Hydrogen Association.
A hydrogen car is an electric car that produces its own electricity on board when hydrogen stored in high-pressure tanks reacts with oxygen in the air in a mini-power plant called a fuel cell, perhaps the most expensive and important part of this technology. From the process, the only thing that comes out of the exhaust pipe is water.
These are some of the most frequently asked questions and answers regarding hydrogen cars:
-What future do you have? In the automotive world, in the medium and long term, hydrogen is going to be decisive in heavy road transport, in the field of urban commercial vehicles and in public service vehicles such as taxis and VTC. The slow growth of a network of hydroline stations throughout the Spanish geography will delay the implementation of this technology at the level of private vehicles.
-It is safe? Hydrogen cars have great safety measures, but, in addition, hydrogen is very volatile, so in the event of a leak it would easily dissipate without concentrating sufficient amounts of risk. Hydrogen is not toxic and the models marketed comply with the regulations and show the same safety as a gasoline or diesel car. As an example, the hydrogen Hyundai ‘Nexo’ has 5 stars in the EuroNcap crash test.
-What are its advantages? At the moment and until the electric ones do not offer more autonomy, a hydrogen car does more kilometers with a charge. They also take much less time than an electric to refuel, since it takes between five and eight minutes to fill their tanks. Its batteries do not need to be as large and heavy as those of a traditional electric. And hydrogen has a higher heating value to weight ratio than any other fuel.
-Do you have drawbacks? On the opposite side of the scale, the price, especially compared to an equivalent gasoline model, since none falls below 65,000 euros without aid. Also the limited supply of models and a hydrogen recharge network still in its infancy. In Spain there are seven hydrogen stations, the last one opened in Madrid and the only one that serves it at 700 bar pressure and with a purity of 99.9%, but none is for public use. The Government has approved the installation of a network of one hundred public hydrogen stations by 2030.
-How much does it cost to fill the tank? Today, hydrogen is sold in existing hydroline stations (hydrogenera should be called the place where hydrogen is produced) at a price of between 10 and 12 euros/kilogram. That means that filling the three tanks of a Toyota ‘Mirai’ would cost between 56 and 67 euros, an amount that would allow to travel around 650 kilometers, which is the official autonomy of the Japanese model when homologating an average WLTP consumption of 0.79 kg every 100 km. Taking this into account, the average fuel cost per 100 km of a hydrogen model would be set at around 9.5 euros. An equivalent gasoline model would spend about 7.3 l/100 km euros, a minimum saving for hydrogen that should increase as there is more demand.
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