Fuel cells might just be the power source of the future for heavy-duty vehicles. As a first step fuel cells can be used to drive auxiliary systems, but further down the line they may make up the vehicle’s main power source.
The technology behind fuel cells involves converting chemical energy into electrical energy.
Breathing clean fuel
Because the fuel consists of hydrogen and oxygen and the exhaust residues consist of water it is completely clean. Even the fuel cell’s energy conversion is clean, so there are no problems of emissions such as particulate matters, nitrogen oxides or carbon dioxide.
Within the near future it will be possible to use the fuel cell to power auxiliary systems on board a vehicle that are currently driven by the diesel engine. This way, it will be possible to reduce fuel consumption and as a result also reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Making two rights right
Using fuel cells as part of a micro-hybrid solution is an interesting combination and can reduce fuel consumption significantly.
An APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) can be used to generate cooling and heating and to drive fans and other electrical systems needed for driver and cargo comfort. This way, idling operation can be greatly reduced. The fuel-cell-based APU could improve efficiency by as much as 40 percent compared to the one-cylinder combustion engine that normally drives the APU.
Another benefit of fuel cells is that the conversion process from chemical to electrical energy is entirely soundless.
A fuel to be reckoned with
In 30 to 40 years perhaps fuel cell systems will be so efficient that they will be able to power heavy-duty vehicles on a larger scale. In the longer-term perspective, fuel-cell technology is also of considerable interest for ships, aircraft and other mobile units that require a compact and environmentally compatible power supply system.
The Volvo Group believes that fuel cell technology has a significant future potential and we are working on the development of fuel cells for a variety of applications.