Last updated on 01 March, 2024

Hydrogen vehicles are one of the options for the development of sustainable mobility as an alternative to the use of fossil fuels. They offer clear environmental and health-related advantages over other alternative fuels. Their characteristics make them suitable not only for road transport but also for other modes of transport.

CNH2 has a vehicle laboratory where a wide range of vehicle powers and configurations can be tested. The laboratory’s capabilities support the work of integrating hydrogen systems into vehicles. More information can be found here.

Hydrogen vehicles can be classified as follows:

Fuel cell vehicles
Hydrogen combustion vehicles
Hydrogen-based extended-range vehicles

 

Fuel cell vehicles

A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) is an electric vehicle that uses electric power from a fuel cell, usually coupled with a small electric battery or supercapacitors, for propulsion.

In a fuel cell vehicle the energy is stored in the form of hydrogen (H2) compressed under high pressure in a tank on board the vehicle.

The fuel cell converts the hydrogen together with the oxygen present in the air into electricity.

FCEVs are classified as zero-emission vehicles.

Only water and water vapour are present in the exhaust pipe and there are no emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 or NOx and particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5).

The range of FCEVs is around 600km and the refuelling time in a hydrogen station is less than 5 minutes.

 

Hydrogen combustion vehicles

Hydrogen internal combustion vehicles (H2-ICE) are powered by alternative internal combustion engines in which the fuel used is hydrogen or a mixture of hydrocarbons and hydrogen.

It can be used in both Otto and diesel engines.

These vehicles considerably reduce CO2 emissions compared to the original engines.

 

Hydrogen-based extended-range vehicles

Range-extended vehicles are usually electric vehicles that are equipped with a hydrogen and fuel cell storage system in addition to the vehicle’s batteries.

In this way it is possible to operate with both energy sources and thus increase the range of the vehicle.

An additional advantage is the versatility in terms of energy recharging for the vehicle, which can be either electric or hydrogen.

As they are fuel cell based systems in conjunction with batteries, they are zero-emission vehicles.