Buses: Fuel Cells ppsx

Buses: Fuel Cells N Whitehouse and S Whitehouse, PE Australia, South Perth, WA, Australia A Huss, AKOMBE Market and Technology Communications, Sachsenring, Cologne & 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Introduction Discussions about the future of transportation are marked by three key factors À growing energy demand and energy security on the one side and climate change and environmental protection on the other. The word that is most often used to embody all these concerns is ‘sus- tainability’ or, in the field of transportation, ‘sustainable mobility’. Achieving sustainable mobility is the big challenge for the future in the vehicle and associated industries. It is now common wisdom that transport based on fossil resources is a finite proposition. Until today, the burning of fossil fuels in internal combustion engines (ICEs) was the most common power source for vehicles. As long as oil was cheap and seemed to be abundant, this seemed to make sense. Times have changed and energy efficiency and the search for alternatives are becoming increasingly important throughout the world. Currently, few disagree that there is a link between the burning of fossil fuels (producing greenhouse gases) and damaging climate change. Many countries have launched very strong environmental protection regu- lations in order to reduce emissions. As a result the transport industry is working on technical solutions to meet these new and stringent environmental standards. Although there is a high potential for energy and emis- sions savings, these can only be achieved gradually. In addition, the world population continues to grow and with it the demand for energy. Today, about half of the world population already lives in urban areas. This trend will continue over the next decades, and will lead to increasing urbanization throughout the world. De- veloping countries with massive populations such as China and India are likely to be the economic drivers into the future. The need for energy in these two countries alone, not to mention the rest of the world, will grow continuously and it cannot be satisfactorily met with existing technologies. Urban public transport in particular will play an important role in making these communities both viable and, in the longer term, sustainable. Most of the energy we consume is based on fossil resources such as oil, coal, and natural gas. Whether electricity, heat, or transportation, the basis for every such resource is fossil fuel and, therefore, by definition, these resources are finite. In addition, while exploiting and using these resources, carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants are produced which have a negative ef- fect on the global climate. Worldwide, companies, scientific researchers, and governments are looking for ways to make better use of renewable energy sources and improve the energy effi- ciency of fossil resources. Energy based on renewable resources such as wind, water, solar, geothermal power, or biomass can be essentially emission-free or emission- neutral. Although the technologies that make use of these renewable sources are fairly expensive, this will change in the long term. Renewable energies may become less expensive even sooner, particularly if the prices for (fossil) energy continue to grow as they have recently. There is a great need for technical solutions that will address these energy and environmental issues in the automotive industry as well as elsewhere. Fuel cell technology, as a highly efficient energy converter, cou- pled with hydrogen as an energy carrier produced from renewable energy sources is one of the most promising answers to these challenges. Vehicles with fuel cell drive systems are electric vehicles. Fueled with hydrogen they produce water vapor while driving. In this sense, they are true zero emission vehicles and therefore have the highest potential with regard to sustainable mobility. Public Transportation: Requirements for the Use of Fuel Cell Buses Public transport plays a key role in all communities. It is the most efficient and effective means of moving people from one place to another, particularly large numbers of people. Public transport also makes an important con- tribution to community social values by providing a level of mobility not available to many people through any other means. In densely populated communities urban public transport has an even more important role in creating a sustainable urban environment. More than 75% of Europe’s population live in urban areas. Currently more that 20% of all person kilometers traveled within the European Union are urban trips of o15 km. The total kilometers traveled in European Union urban areas are expected to increase considerably in the next few years. These statistics are consistent with most urbanized countries. Urban areas suffer heavily from congestion caused mostly by the private car resulting in severe impacts on the individual and losses to the economy. It is arguable 193 . Buses: Fuel Cells N Whitehouse and S Whitehouse, PE Australia, South Perth, WA, Australia A Huss, AKOMBE. is one of the most promising answers to these challenges. Vehicles with fuel cell drive systems are electric vehicles. Fueled with hydrogen they produce water vapor while driving. In this sense,. throughout the world. Currently, few disagree that there is a link between the burning of fossil fuels (producing greenhouse gases) and damaging climate change. Many countries have launched very