<strong>India's first indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus unveiled</strong>
Are you someone who is worried about climate change? After all, it is a real-world concern! Keeping this in mind, India had launched its National Hydrogen Mission earlier this year to reduce the country’s carbon footprint. And now, the nation has recently unveiled its first-ever indigenously developed hydrogen fuel cell-powered bus, something that can be considered as the right step forward. It was launched by the Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh and has been developed by KPIT-CSIR in Pune. Here's everything you need to know about it.
How do hydrogen fuel cells work?
For those unaware, hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity by simply combining hydrogen atoms with oxygen atoms. Interestingly, these fuel cells work exactly in the way as conventional batteries in electric vehicles do, the only difference being they do not run out of charge, nor do they need to be recharged every now and then. This also means that as long as there’s proper supply of hydrogen and oxygen, these cells continue to generate electricity. There’s no reason for hydrogen or oxygen to fall short, as they are readily available. So, as you can imagine, it is one of the most sustainable fuel sources available. To make matters clearer, hydrogen and oxygen react in such a way inside an electrochemical cell, that they produce sufficient amounts of electricity, with water and heat as by-products. Do you know what happens next? That’s right, the electric motors utilise this electricity to propel the vehicle in any direction possible.
Okay now, here’s a bit of tech dose for you. Just like conventional cells, a hydrogen powered fuel cell also has an anode (negative electrode) and a cathode (positive electrode) that is placed in between an electrolyte. Now, hydrogen is fed to the anode, while normal air is fed to the cathode. This in turn leads to the breaking up of the hydrogen atoms into protons and electrons, both of which take separate paths towards cathode. While the electrons go through an external circuit creating electrical flow, the protons go through the electrolyte. Once they both reach the cathode, they unite with oxygen to produce water and heat. How cool is that!
Pros of hydrogen fuel cells
One of the most significant advantages of hydrogen fuel cells is that they do not produce any harmful emission. Instead, they only emit warm air and water vapour, both environment friendly. Moreover, they are more efficient than internal combustion cells. However, what makes these fuel cells so superior is their limited refilling time, making them more convenient for long and public transportation purposes.