Electromobility. A new beginning or a stop on the way to your destination?

The climate crisis is a fact that forces us to take specific actions to prevent its effects. According to the climate plan adopted by the European Union, known as the European Green Deal, by 2030 CO₂ emissions on our continent are to be -55% compared to their level in 1990, and by 2050, Europe plans to achieve neutrality issue. One of the sub-points of the mentioned plan concerns the reduction of emissions caused by road transport. The purpose of the following article is to present current trends in this sector.

Reasons for global electrification

If we look at the data on global greenhouse gas emissions by sector, it turns out that energy production is responsible for as much as 73% of them. According to sources from 2019, in the European Union it was as much as 77%. We are talking here about the costs of obtaining the energy necessary to supply electricity to both commercial and residential buildings, as well as the one used in industry. This also includes transport, including air, sea and road transport, which is responsible for 16% of global CO₂ equivalent emissions, almost half of which concerns passenger transport. It is therefore not surprising that reducing emissions from this sector has become a priority. Another argument in favor of the electrification of passenger transport is the fact that we have a fairly well-developed infrastructure necessary for the transmission of electricity, which is relatively cheap to maintain, and its transport is fast and has low transmission losses.

Trends in the development of private transport

Taking into account the dominant trends in the development of private transport, we can distinguish two leading directions. Both assume obtaining energy directly from sunlight, but in a slightly different way. The first one involves the use of solar panels to charge batteries intended to power electric cars. The second one, using them to produce hydrogen that can be used as fuel. Unfortunately, the second method is much more complicated due to the high costs of production and transport of hydrogen, which must be stored in liquid form under high pressure. On the other hand, hydrogen is almost three times more efficient than any of the currently used fossil fuels, and its energy density compared to batteries available on the market is as much as forty times higher. For these reasons, the use of hydrogen propulsion may be particularly attractive for long-distance and truck transport. Using batteries in this case would increase the total weight of the vehicle and require frequent charging, which in turn would extend the travel time and costs. In the case of small passenger cars, used mainly as a means of urban transport or covering short distances, this issue is not so problematic. However, the lack of appropriate charging infrastructure may be a problem, especially in smaller urban centers.

Conventional vs. drives alternative

When choosing an alternatively powered vehicle, it is worth paying attention to the dominant source of electricity in a given region, because it actually has a decisive impact on the overall production of CO₂ equivalent during its operation. In Poland, we still rely on energy from coal and other fossil fuels, so the total greenhouse gas emissions needed to produce a kilowatt-hour of electricity are relatively high. Therefore – contrary to the assumptions – the cost of introducing, using and disposing of a gasoline-powered car will be lower than in the case of an electric car, but still higher compared to a hydrogen-powered vehicle.

If we apply the same data to the case of Germany, where greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt hour of energy are lower by more than half, we will obtain more optimistic results and the environmental benefits of using an electric car will already be felt.

We would only notice a real difference if we reach the low emission level proposed by the European Union and switch to renewable energy. In this case, both electric and hydrogen drives would guarantee a reduction in emissions related to vehicle operation by nearly 60%.

The dark side of electromobility

Of course, it should be remembered that the alternative drives discussed also have their drawbacks, which may affect the attractiveness of these solutions from the point of view of their production and operation.

Firstly, even minor damage to an electric car may require a complete battery replacement, which involves relatively high costs, which in some cases may exceed the market value of the vehicle.

The second problem, this time related to operational safety, is the high risk of ignition during a road collision. In turn, when such a situation occurs, electric cars require at least several hours of firefighting, during which water contaminated by rare metals leached from the batteries may enter the soil. For this reason, these vehicles are extinguished in special containers filled with water, which helps limit the damage, but requires additional work on the part of the fire brigade.

In the context of self-ignition, hydrogen-powered cars can be considered relatively safe, at least compared to those powered by natural gas, which is due to the physicochemical properties of this element. Please note that the molecular volume of hydrogen is extremely small and requires storage at high pressure. In the event of ignition, if an escape route is provided for the hydrogen, the combustion process will be rapid and very violent, and its direction will be upwards. Therefore, it can be expected that the entire fuel supply will be burned within approximately 90 seconds of ignition. In the case of natural gas, the situation is much more dangerous. This mixture, being heavier than air, will accumulate in the underbody area and gradually burn, covering the entire car.

When it comes to hydrogen cars, the main obstacle to introducing this trend on an industrial scale is the high cost of producing this fuel. Currently, it is obtained by electrolysis from fresh water, which is not a favorable solution due to limited resources. In turn, the technology of obtaining hydrogen from salt water is too expensive and inefficient to be implemented on an industrial scale. In addition, there are specific conditions for storing and transporting such fuel, which also generates additional costs.

Powerpaste seems to be a promising solution – a paste with a gel consistency, which is a mixture of hydrogen and magnesium. This is a relatively safe and effective, and most importantly – ecological way of storing fuel. How it’s working? As a result of the chemical reaction of Magnesium Hydride with water, pure hydrogen is released, and non-toxic magnesium hydroxide is formed as a by-product, which can be reused to saturate another portion of Powerpaste with hydrogen. In this case, the by-product is water. However, we still have to wait for hydrogen-fueled vehicles to appear on the roads.

What’s next?

It will be some time before traditional engine-powered vehicles disappear from our roads for good. Currently, we are observing a race between manufacturers of electric cars and those powered by hydrogen. Both solutions still require a lot of work, each of them has both advantages and disadvantages, and generates problems that will need to be solved in the future. It is possible that completely new patents will appear in the near future that we are not currently taking into account. Time will tell.

AUTHOR: Soran Kasim, Senior Project Manager, ALTEN Polska