Disadvantages of Hydrogen Fuel Cells


The alternative fuel lobby will say that using hydrogen fuel cells to power your vehicle is definitely the way to go, but what about the disadvantages?  They give us all the information about the advantages to switching to hydrogen fuel cells, but they gloss over the disadvantages.  The truth is that while hydrogen fuel cells are highly advantageous, but they also have some significant disadvantages.

People who have studied hydrogen fuel cells say that there are three main disadvantages to using hydrogen as a fuel source.

1. The low density. A hydrogen fuel tank will have three times the size of a gasoline tank. Also it must be insulated, and this will add to its bulk. This seems entirely bearable.

2. Safety problems. Liquid hydrogen is cold enough to freeze air, and accidents have occurred from pressure build-up following plugged valves. Some say these problems can't be overcome, but many side with those who think they can be overcome. 

In a collision the hydrogen tank may rupture, as can a gasoline tank. Limited accident experience suggests that the danger is somewhat less with hydrogen than with gasoline, because the hydrogen dissipates rapidly. The release of hydrogen into a confined space like a garage risks an explosion.

3. Since the insulation can't be perfect, the hydrogen will gradually evaporate, typically 1.7 percent per day. This is too fast for a car to sit for months between uses. A tank of compressed hydrogen holding enough to get to a hydrogen station would solve this. 

If the engine is flexible enough to burn gasoline as well as hydrogen, a half gallon gasoline tank would suffice. Some automobile companies like BMW, have experimented with vehicles powered by liquid hydrogen. However, hydrogen cannot come into common use until the political obstacles to nuclear expansion are overcome or the technological obstacles to large scale solar energy are overcome. 

It is unlikely to be used as long as gasoline remains so cheap – in other words as long as oil remains cheap and fear of global warming does not prevent its use. Hydrogen enthusiasts will just have to wait if this persists.

There’s really no doubt that using hydrogen fuel cells as an alternative fuel can be very advantageous both for the environment as well as for America in general by reducing our dependence on foreign oil.  But there still are significant disadvantages that must be overcome before we can realize the real benefits of using hydrogen fuel cells as our main source of energy to power our vehicles.