This summer , in Québec , the first hydrogen passenger train in north america will be in service Alstom’s Coradia iLint, the world’s first hydrogen-powered passenger train, will demonstrate green traction in Quebec | Alstom
Gotta tinker with all kinds of alternate fuels while we still have time but.......... I'd be curious to know what method and energy source they use to PRODUCE the hydrogen in the first place. One reason it hasn't caught on yet is that the production of the hydrogen usually takes MORE energy than you get back by burning it.
Yes , but I think that it applies to all energy sources. Transformation of energy is always relatively ineffective.To illustrate let's take the energy content in a gallon of fossile fuel. The production ,(extraction,reffining .distribution etc) actually cost between 16% to 20% efficiency . Now the transformation in an internal combustion engine is around 30% the rest is mainly transformed heat. So the application of these emerging technologies and implementation in trains , ships, etc will happen in a very near future. This will happen since efficiency increases ,and carbon emission restriction increases.
Hydrogen is an energy carrier, like a battery. Let's say we have a renewable electricity source for our vehicle. The efficiency of making hydrogen with that electricity, then converting it back in a fuel cell, will only move a FCEV a third of the distance as using the electricity to charge a battery. The comparison is worse is the hydrogen is burned in an engine. The energy density(weight and volume) of hydrogen might be better for long distance vehicle, like trains or ships, that batteries, but it is still pretty lousy. Storing the hydrogen onboard is an issue, in addition to the one of getting it from production to the vehicle.
