Affiliation:
1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, 7-1 Ohgigaoka, Nonoichi 921-8501, Japan
Abstract
The use of hydrogen fuel produced from renewable energy sources is an effective way to reduce well-to-wheel CO2 emissions from automobiles. In this study, the performance of a hydrogen-powered series hybrid vehicle was compared with that of other powertrains, such as gasoline-powered hybrid, fuel cell, and electric vehicles, in a simulation that could estimate CO2 emissions under real-world driving conditions. The average fuel consumption of the hydrogen-powered series hybrid vehicle exceeded that of the gasoline-powered series hybrid vehicle under all conditions and was better than that of the fuel cell vehicle under urban and winding conditions with frequent acceleration and deceleration. The driving range was longer than that of the battery-powered vehicle but approximately 60% of that of the gasoline-powered series hybrid. Regarding the life-cycle assessment of CO2 emissions, fuel cell and electric vehicles emitted more CO2 during the manufacturing process. Regarding fuel production, CO2 emissions from hydrogen and electric vehicles depend on the energy source. However, in the future, this problem can be solved by using carbon-free energy sources for fuel production. Therefore, hydrogen-powered series hybrid vehicles show a high potential to be environmentally friendly alternative fuel vehicles.
Subject
Energy (miscellaneous),Energy Engineering and Power Technology,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electrical and Electronic Engineering,Control and Optimization,Engineering (miscellaneous),Building and Construction