The Energy of TOMORROW
Powering SARTA TODAY
What is a hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle?
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A reaction using hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
o The electricity is then used to power the vehicle
A fuel cell vehicle is very comparable to an electric vehicle
o Both use batteries to store energy for operation
o Electric motors are main power source
Unlike electric vehicles, fuel cells do not need to charge for long periods of time (typically a 35 minute fill up of hydrogen will fill the tank in passenger vehicles)
o As long as fuel is being fed, electricity will be produced
o Fuel cell vehicles can travel as far as the hydrogen in the tanks will take them (similar
to a normal tank of gas)
Fuel Cell Process:
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Hydrogen from the storage tank is pumped into one side of a fuel cell stack
Oxygen/Air enters from the other side
Hydrogen passes through a layer in which an electron (the source of electricity!) breaks free
from the hydrogen atom
Electron flows through a circuit to power an electric motor and then returns to the fuel cell on
the oxygen side
A combination of hydrogen and oxygen produces water and heat as the only byproduct
Are hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles safe?
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Extensive testing has found hydrogen to be as safe as the gasoline put into an everyday vehicle
Hydrogen is the lightest of all the elements (14x lighter than air) meaning that it dissipates
quickly into the atmosphere
Tanks that the hydrogen fuel is stored have been tested repeatedly and been found to be as safe
as gasoline tanks in collisions
Storage, transportation and dispersion of hydrogen is also safe
o In the U.S., hydrogen is transported through 700 miles of pipelines and 70 million
gallons of liquid hydrogen are transported annually by truck over U.S. highways
without incident
Indoor and outdoor fueling stations in several states for using compressed hydrogen in
passenger vehicles, buses, trucks, forklifts, and other types of vehicles
Improved Fuel Economy
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Hydrogen fuel cell buses are 2-3x more efficient than internal combustion engines (traditional
gasoline)
o Gasoline engines are less than 20% efficient in converting fuel into the power that
moves the vehicle, fuel cells use 40-60% of the fuel’s energy for proposition
Potential to reduce overall fuel costs
No moving parts which results in reduced maintenance cost, engine wear and noise in the fuel
cell engine
Fuel cells have the ability to reduce the dependence on oil
o Hydrogen can be derived from domestic sources or water
o Potentially less vulnerable to oil price shocks and a volatile oil market.
Environmental Benefits
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Fuel cell vehicles emit no greenhouse gasses from the tailpipe
The only byproduct of a fuel cell is heat and water… drinkable water at that!
Every fuel cell-powered bus put into service, the amount of carbon released into the
atmosphere would be reduced by 100 tons
o Eliminate the need for 9,000 gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicle
Quiet operation
o No moving parts and no combustion means that fuel cells are much quieter than other
vehicle power technologies
For more information visit
www.SARTAonline.com/hydrogenfuelcellbus