3.6 Hydrogen

Hydrogen has the potential to revolutionize transportation, despite the fact that commercialization is still years, if not decades, away. Hydrogen can be produced from fossil fuels (reforming natural gas), biomass, and the electrolysis of water (extracting hydrogen from water using electricity). Life-cycle emissions of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are dependent upon the method of attaining the hydrogen. The source of the electricity has a major impact on the life-cycle emissions of hydrogen-derived from electrolysis.

The US EPA estimates a 41.4% reduction in GHG emissions for a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle relative to a gasoline vehicle based on life-cycle emissions if the hydrogen source was natural gas. This estimate is derived using natural gas to produce hydrogen and accounts for the higher per mile efficiency of hydrogen in a fuel cell vehicle.⁴ Hydrogen developed from electrolysis actually increases the life-cycle GHG emissions compared to conventional fuels, due to the high energy inputs required in the production of the hydrogen.

Hydrogen is not currently offered as a widespread automotive fuel. Like the fuel cell technology for automotive applications, hydrogen production, transportation, and storage (both on-ground and on-vehicle) continues to face technological challenges and continued development is required. Today, hydrogen onboard a vehicle must be stored in specialized, thick-walled, heavy, high pressure (up to 10,000 psi) tanks. These tanks hold relatively small amounts of energy for their size and significantly limit the operating range of the vehicle. Once hydrogen technology barriers are overcome, it is anticipated that the development of a hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure will require additions to the existing natural gas transmission and delivery infrastructure.

Automakers and others have varying views on the timelines for hydrogen vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure to become commercially available. Recently Ballard Power Systems Inc., a leading proponent of fuel cell technology withdrew from the automotive market, focusing its efforts on stationary and other non-automotive applications. The 2015 to 2020 timeframe is generally viewed as being a reasonable timeframe for the technology issues to be overcome and for hydrogen as a transportation fuel to become commercially available.

⁴ US EPA – Greenhouse Gas Impacts of Expanded Renewable and Alternative Fuels Use – April 2007