Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

ELECTRIC VEHICLES 27 energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 The current environmental concerns warrant that India starts to embrace alternative fuel technologies, besides BEVs. The general perception of FCEVs is unfavorable, to say the least, with the idea of a hydrogen-based economy continually being misunderstood and tagged as unfeasible. FCEVs find their high costs as one of their main chal- lenges today, courtesy to the high cost of hydrogen production, fuel-cell stacks and establishment of hydrogen fuel sta- tions. If this technology is developed and finds wider acceptance, costs can be reduced. However, India, at present, does not have even a single hydrogen fuel station. Nevertheless, there is evi- dence of a slow acceptance of hydro- gen as an alternative fuel with Tata Mo- tors collaborating with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Indi- an Oil (IOCL) to launch a hydrogen fuel cell bus. Moreover, Hyundai, which has already launched the Kona Electric in In- dia, also plans to launch its first fuel cell SUV in India by 2021 with the necessary infrastructure being built in and around the Delhi-NCR area. Globally, countries such as Japan, China, the United States of America, Korea and some European countries have started to warm up to the idea of a hydrogen-based society while simultaneously making continuous in- vestments towards cleaner production technology. A comprehensive comparison between ICEs, BEVs, and FCEVs showed that in terms of capital costs, safety, range and refueling speed, ICEs are way ahead of the other two alternatives. The parame- ters it falls behind in are fuel cost and the extent of emissions produced. How- ever, FCEVs have the potential to over- come high-cost barriers in the future through scaled-up manufacturing, least emissions and assured safety. Table 1: Performance Comparison of Alternative Powertrains Conclusion BEVs and FCEVs are two “clean” auto- motive technologies having the potential to be integrated with renewable ener- gy sources. BEVs have lower fuel con- sumption and high energy efficiency, given their overall weight - which isn’t too high - making them ideal for travel- ing short distances. FCEVs can store a greater amount of energy in relation to their weight, besides having a much shorter refilling time, thus making them an appropriate choice for long journeys. However, at present, the EV ecosystem is more developed, and talks about a hy- drogen economy are still in their infancy. Nonetheless, FCEVs are indeed the fu- ture of a more environment-friendly way out for urban transport, especially the long-haul heavy vehicles, which is why they shouldn’t be ruled out as an alter- native. The future of mobility lies in the coexistence of alternative fuel technolo- gies, which translates into a future where BEVs and FCEVs are not placed against each other but play a complementary role to address environmental concerns together. (Special Contribution by Ms. Arya Bhat, Intern, WRI India) Sources: https://www.petrofac.com/en-gb/media/our-stories/the-difference-between-green-hydrogen-and-blue-hydrogen/ https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/insights/2020/11/the-hydrogen-trajectory.html https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/latest-news/coal/033020-green-hydrogen-costs-can-hit-2kg-benchmark-by-2030-bnef ht tps: / /www. f inancialexpress.com/auto/car-news/hydrogen-fuel -cel l -vehicle- india-technology-car-working-toyota-mi rai -hyund - ai-nexo-range/1788621/ https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2019/ee/c8ee01157e