What Are Hydrogen Vehicles (FCEV) and How Do They Work?

What Are Hydrogen Vehicles (FCEV) and How Do They Work?

As the name suggests, these vehicles use hydrogen as fuel.

They are both more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles and emit no emissions.

They release only warm air and water vapor. In hydrogen vehicles, stored hydrogen is converted into electrical energy.

We explain how this works in the section below on their operating principle.

Like internal combustion engine vehicles, these vehicles can refuel quickly and travel approximately 500 km on a full tank.

Hydrogen vehicles also include advanced technologies to improve efficiency, such as regenerative braking. Now let us examine how these vehicles work.

How do hydrogen vehicles work?

Hydrogen vehicles, like fully electric vehicles, draw power from electrical energy.

However, unlike other electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles generate electricity using the fuel cell inside them.

Instead of using only the energy in a battery, they produce electricity with hydrogen. Hydrogen vehicles contain several basic components to operate in this way:

Auxiliary battery: The low-voltage battery in the vehicle starts the car before the traction battery comes online and also supplies power for vehicle accessories.

Battery: This is a high-voltage battery; it stores energy produced through regenerative braking and supplies power to the electric motor.

DC/DC converter: This converter converts high-voltage DC energy into low-voltage DC energy.

Electric motor (FCEV): This motor uses energy from the fuel cell and battery to turn the vehicle wheels.

Fuel cell: This component is a group of electrodes that use hydrogen and oxygen separately to produce electricity.

Fuel filler: This component allows fuel to be added to the vehicle.

Fuel tank (hydrogen): Stores the fuel required by the fuel cell.

Electronic controller (FCEV): This component controls the speed and torque produced by the electric motor and manages energy in the fuel cell and electric motor.

Cooling system (FCEV): This component maintains the proper operating temperature of components in the vehicle.

Transmission (electric): Transfers mechanical power from the electric motor to the wheels.