Comparative costs and benefits of hydrogen vehicles
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
The costs and benefits of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel are compared to gasoline, natural gas, and battery-powered vehicles. Costs, energy, efficiency, and tail-pipe and full fuel cycle emissions of air pollutants and greenhouse gases were estimated for hydrogen from a broad range of delivery pathways and scales: from individual vehicle refueling systems to large stations refueling 300 cars/day. Hydrogen production from natural gas, methanol, and ammonia, as well as water electrolysis based on alkaline or polymer electrolytes and steam electrolysis using solid oxide electrolytes are considered. These estimates were compared to estimates for competing fuels and vehicles, and used to construct oil use, air pollutant, and greenhouse gas emission scenarios for the U.S. passenger car fleet from 2005-2050. Fuel costs need not be an overriding concern in evaluating the suitability of hydrogen as a fuel for passenger vehicles. The combined emissions and oil import reduction benefits of hydrogen cars are estimated to be significant, valued at up to {approximately}$400/yr for each hydrogen car when primarily clean energy sources are used for hydrogen production. These benefits alone, however, become tenuous as the basis supporting a compelling rationale for hydrogen fueled vehicles, if efficient, advanced fossil-fuel hybrid electric vehicles (HEV`s) can achieve actual on-road emissions at or below ULEV standards in the 2005-2015 timeframe. It appears a robust rationale for hydrogen fuel and vehicles will need to also consider unique, strategic, and long-range benefits of hydrogen vehicles which can be achieved through the use of production, storage, delivery, and utilization methods for hydrogen which are unique among fuels: efficient use of intermittent renewable energy sources, (e,g, wind, solar), small-scale feasibility, fuel production at or near the point of use, electrolytic production, diverse storage technologies, and electrochemical conversion to electricity.
- Research Organization:
- National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 447138
- Report Number(s):
- NREL/CP-430-21968-Vol.1; CONF-9605195-Vol.1; ON: DE97000053; TRN: 97:001172-0006
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 1996 annual hydrogen peer review for DOE, Miami, FL (United States), 1-3 May 1996; Other Information: PBD: Oct 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of Proceedings of the 1996 US DOE hydrogen program review. Volume 1; PB: 575 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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