How Green are Electric or Hydrogen-Powered Cars? (eBook)

Antoine C. Bret is Associate Professor at the Universidad Castilla La Mancha. His main research interests focus on theoretical plasma physics and astrophysics.Antoine Bret has been teaching an introductory course for students in engineering, where he introduces the debates about energy and climate change and in particular their intimate catenation.The present Brief is based on the Masters theses of María Miravalles López and Jesús Montoya Sánchez de Pablo, who investigated in their research how 'green' the traffic and transportation system in Spain would effectively be if all cars were to be replaced by electrical or hydrogen fueled cars. On this basis, a scalable and adaptable model was developed and different scenarios tested.

Contents 6
1 Introduction 8
1.1 Introduction 8
1.2 What We Do 9
1.3 Why We Do It 11
1.4 How We Do It 11
References 12
2 Current Figures 13
2.1 Energy to Wheels 13
2.2 Current Emissions 15
2.3 Emission Coefficients 16
References 18
3 The Hydrogen Model 19
3.1 Potential and Hazards of the Hydrogen Model 19
3.1.1 Hydrogen Production 20
3.1.2 Hydrogen Storage 24
3.1.3 The Fuel Cell 27
3.1.4 Hydrogen in Spain 27
3.2 The Hydrogen Vehicle 31
3.2.1 The Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle 31
3.2.2 Elements of the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle 32
3.3 Hydrogen Required 34
3.3.1 Hydrogen Versus Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle 35
3.4 Energy Scenarios for CO2 Equivalent Calculation 36
3.4.1 Definition of the Scenarios 36
3.4.2 Electricity Generation 38
3.4.3 Emissions Model Simplifications 39
3.4.4 Scenario 1. Current Hydrogen Generation Mix 41
3.4.5 Scenario 2. Home Generation of Hydrogen 46
3.4.6 Scenario 3. IEA Scenario for Short-Term Implementation 49
3.4.7 Scenario 4. IEA Scenario for Mid-Term Implantation 51
3.4.8 Scenario 5. IEA Scenario for Long-Term Implantation 53
3.4.9 Summary 55
3.5 Sensitivity Analysis 57
References 59
4 The Electrical Model 61
4.1 The Electrical Vehicle 61
4.1.1 Pros and Cons of Electrical Vehicles 62
4.1.2 Batteries for EV 62
4.2 Electrical Energy Required 64
4.2.1 Electrical Versus Internal Combustion Vehicles 64
4.3 GHG Emissions 66
4.3.1 Electricity Production Scenario 66
4.4 Fossil Fuels Threshold: Scenario ``x'' 68
4.5 Impact on the Spanish Electricity System 71
4.5.1 Electricity Demand 71
4.5.2 Daily Load Curve 71
4.5.3 Installed Capacity in Spain and ``Future Mix'' Scenario 73
4.6 Sensitivity Analysis 74
References 76
5 Conclusion 77
References 80
Appendix A 81
A.1 Notations, Acronyms, and Units 81
A.2 Regenerative Braking 82
A.3 Estimation of CO2 Emissions Associated to Hydrogen Transport by Truck 83
A.4 Sensitivity Analysis for the Hydrogen model 84
A.4.1 Energy at Wheels 84
A.4.2 Hydrogen Mass Required 84
A.4.3 Well-To-Wheel Efficiency 85
A.4.4 Energy Requirements 86
A.4.5 Greenhouse Gas Emissions 86
References 88