In this tech talk, Steven had the pleasure of discussing Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle or Battery Electric Vehicle with Sean Mackinnon, Chief Scientist at Loop Energy.
Learn about Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle or Battery Electric Vehicle?
Steven Oji and Sean MacKinnon, Chief Scientist at hydrogen fuel cell manufacturer Loop Energy, discuss the environmental and resource perspective of fuel cell and battery electric vehicles in the heavy-duty sector. They discuss the efficiency and emissions of both technologies, and mathematically compare the size and resource requirements of battery packs and fuel cells. Sean shows us a new perspective on the use of range extenders, which combine a smaller battery pack with a hydrogen fuel cell, as a more efficient and faster way to reduce CO2 emissions in the heavy-duty sector.
They discuss how heavy-duty trucks contribute significantly to transportation emissions and replacing them with zero-emission alternatives is crucial. Battery electric trucks typically require large battery packs, around 1500 kWh, due to their energy requirements. On the other hand, fuel cell range extender systems, which have smaller battery packs (150 kWh), can recharge batteries on the go using hydrogen fuel cells. This combination approach significantly reduces the size of the battery needed per vehicle.
By using fuel cells as range extenders, the same 1500 kWh battery pack can be distributed across 10 trucks, resulting in 10 times faster CO2 abatement compared to purely battery electric trucks. This approach optimizes the use of lithium-ion battery resources.
If you like the video, please also subscribe to our new Hyfindr Youtube Channel. We launched Hyfindr Tech Talks in January - a new format that is specifically designed for engineers who are interesed in the hydrogen economy!
Steven is a fuel cell system designer and he will deep-dive into the technology that makes the hydrogen economy work with real experts. We hope you will like the new format.