Why all the fuel cell cars use PEMFC in combination with a hydrogen tank?

[MadMattCZ]

Hello,

I'm really interested in fuel cell cars and working on a school project related to them. I went quickly through the options the car manufacturers have these days when constructing a FCV and I cannot understand why all the models produced right now are equipped with very similiar technology. All 3 of them have a PEM fuel cell in combination with a hydrogen tank and I'm wondering, why would't they go with a PEM fuell cell, methanol tank and methanol reformer? The methanol as a fuel has a lot of advantages compared to hydrogen. So what I'm thinking is:

A) the system would be more expensive
B) the system would weigh more

I think the combination of PEMFC + hydrogen tank is cheaper to produce but the system with PEMFC + methanol tank + methanol reformer would be cheaper to use. But that's just my thoughts, I never came across any article comparing these two.

I know it would require 100 pages to cover this topic, but I'd be thankful for any inputs

Matej

[Frank]

Methanol is certainly easier to handle.  Wonder if a methane to methanol gizmo that fits in a garage exists or can exist.  That would get around the availability start-off problem.

A way to use water to convert methane into methanol:  https://phys.org/news/2017-05-methane-methanol.html

 

Edited March 20, 2018 by Frank
english

[MadMattCZ]

Are you sure you mean methane? So you would somehow convert methane -> methanol in your garage and then methanol -> hydrogen in your car?

I think It's possible to use methanol (or any other) reformers in automotive industry. For example, the Serenergy company produces small 5kW fuel cells with its own methanol reformer and they install them in EV cars as range extenders. You can even call these plug-in FCVs.

[Frank]

Methane the same way hydrogen can be "created" from a wall-mount unit in your garage.  Well, there are direct methanol fuel cells, so a reformer would not be needed.  Efficiency might not be there yet.  Methanol is easy(tm) to store, compared to hydrogen.  There's a whole "methanol economy" movement (a vision at least).

Home Hydrogen Fueling Stations - Overview | Hydrogen Cars Now:  http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/index.php/home-hydrogen-fueling-stations/

 

[MadMattCZ]

Great article, I will definitely use it. Thank you.

I know about the direct methanol units. Not only they have small efficiency, but they have small power density too. They are good for forklifts, because they benefit from the systems big weight.

The DMFC is not the only fuel cell that can use methanol directly. The SOFC (solid oxide fuel cells) can use it too and Nissan is currently developing its low-temperature version for their e-Bio prototype.

I'm still trying to figure out what are the disadvantages of using a methanol reformer in a car. I guess I will have to talk my way around it somehow, since it's just a small part of the project anyways.

[Frank]

The reformer can work, and the combination is currently more efficient, as you say.  Work is still being done on DMFC and SOFC, so it depends on the outlook of your idea - near future or further down the road.  I was responding to the PEM in all FC vehicles question, answer is that it is currently most efficient, developed and cost-effective I guess.  I don't see hydrogen as a viable automotive solution due to storage and energy density and even methanol isn't strictly GHG free, though portability and energy density work in its favour.

[MadMattCZ]

I agree with you in general. As you said earlier, there is a concept of methanol economy, but there is ethanol economy and hydrogen economy concepts too. We will see.