Battery-powered electric vehicles (BEVs) may be the enfant gâté as the world transitions to low-carbon propulsion, but talk to most experts with a realistic view on decarbonisation and they will assert that BEVs are far from a catch-all solution. The raft of issues surrounding everything from sourcing materials such as lithium and cobalt, through the sticky subject of what to do with batteries at end of life – not to mention the sheer size of packs needed to extract reasonable range from vehicles – mean that adding batteries to everything from scooters to boats and ’planes is simply not a sustainable option.
The reality is that (notwithstanding simpleton politicians being unable to understand more than one solution) BEVs will be part of a wider range of low-carbon solutions, incorporating both synthetic fuels and, the subject of this article, hydrogen.
The development of what is referred to as the ‘hydrogen economy’ is already well underway, though admittedly at different rates across the world. In some places such as Japan, the implementation of widespread hydrogen infrastructure is progressing at pace. For Europe, progress is slower, but gathering momentum with most countries, and the EU, having now developed hydrogen roadmaps.
The benefit of hydrogen from an emissions perspective is that when combusted (in an ICE) or reacted (in a fuel cell), the only significant by product is water (though NOX can be an issue when used in combustion engines).
The benefit of hydrogen from an emissions perspective is that when combusted (in an
