LRW Engineering Associates Director and new energy and integration lead, Richard Threlfall, says that electric batteries are just one part of the answer:
‘My view is that battery is a short-term fix to a long-term problem, and it is just one part of the future of clean energy transport. It’s also important to consider hydrogen which, from an engineering perspective, I see as a more sophisticated, long-term solution. Hydrogen is obviously a very clean energy, it’s the most abundant element on the planet and a game changer in terms of range. However, it’s a more complex energy to harness so it will take longer to develop the products.’
Weighing up battery vs hydrogen
Electric battery powered transport is becoming more mainstream, with almost a million fully electric cars now on the UK roads, according to Zapmap. But the current battery offering has limitations and is relatively expensive. Recharge time is slow compared with traditional refuelling, which presents a particular challenge for aviation, marine and heavy goods vehicle applications. Temperature sensitivity is also an issue as battery performance can be significant reduced in cold weather.
Hydrogen offers fast refuelling and longer range with potential to be a good wider transport solution. Hydrogen fuel cells are lighter and more compact than electric batteries and offer a longer lifespan. Hydrogen cars, like the Toyota Mirai, exist today but are currently limited. However, a number of leading manufacturers - including BMW and Jaguar Land Rover - have vehicles in development. Hydrogen presents more operational challenges than battery power - not least the ability to pipe it and store it at extremely high pressure. Richard comments:
‘Hydrogen still has an image problem and people can be nervous about the safety implications of having a flammable substance onboard. The reality is that today, we think nothing of transporting a highly combustible can of petrol in our cars. The real challenge for hydrogen will be to create demand and scale production.’
But is it really clean energy?
Whilst battery and hydrogen powered transport offer zero emissions, impact throughout the energy lifecycle needs to be considered.
Electric batteries have a negative environmental impact due to lithium mining, the manufacturing process and end of life disposal. Hydrogen production typically produces carbon dioxide emissions, although some countries use renewable methods – Denmark uses wind energy and Iceland harnesses geothermal energy to power production.
Infrastructure and investment
New energy needs new infrastructure and that will require significant investment and sustained government support.
The automotive electric battery charging infrastructure is growing in the UK but motorway chargers remain behind target, as reported in The Independent. For sectors such as marine and aviation, electric infrastructure is still in its infancy although it is developing with encouraging projects including marine infrastructure for the south coast and Aerovolt installing charging stations at regional airports.
The challenge with hydrogen is to both store it and create specialist infrastructure to pipe it to refuelling stations. Some countries have already made good strides in this respect – FuelCellsWorks says China leads the way globally with over 400 hydrogen stations and 13,000 fuel cell vehicles, Hydrogen Insight reports that Germany is ahead in Europe with 91 stations - the UK currently has 15.
Richard concludes:
‘LRW is excited to be progressing the new energy agenda. We’re working on some really exciting new energy projects right now – including the development of a hydrogen-electric powertrain for passenger aircraft and the electrification of some specialist heavy-duty transport. The good news is that we have two highly viable new energy options on the table which will ultimately drive down carbon emissions.’
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