gasoline emit carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas It contributes to climate change Hydrogen fuel cell cars however have no dangerous emissions The only by-product of a hydrogen engine is water These cars can be an environmentally friendly alternative to gasoline cars By the 2010s many cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells were in testing A few were already driving around cities But they were a long way from becoming available for everyday consumers Hydrogen Fuel on the Rise The idea of using hydrogen to power vehicles goes back to the 1700s At that time The First Hydrogen Flight In 1783 the first hydrogen balloon climbed into the sky French physicist Jacques Charles had watched other attempts to lift balloons with heated air Charles decided to use hydrogen instead His balloon climbed to more than 3,000 feet 900 m It floated along for 15 miles 24 km More than a century before the first airplane the balloon carried passengers into the sky 6
Under the hood cars powered by fuel cells differ significantly from fossil fuel cars 7
hydrogen was used to lift balloons The gas is less dense than the air around it A balloon filled with hydrogen could carry a person into the sky But energy demands have changed a lot since then Hydrogen is useful for more than its lifting power Now it is being used to power cars and trucks Hydrogen fuel cells show a lot of promise However they also face hurdles Fuel cells are expensive Since each car would require several cells the cars would be expensive In addition to money other problems stand in Hydrogen Economy Hydrogen economy is a term Hydrogen economy is a term Hydrogen economy used to describe all the parts of hydrogen energy production This includes generating hydrogen creating fuel cells and storing the fuel A hydrogen economy is about more than just money It is also about a clean environment Hydrogen fuel is supposed to be a clean source of energy However generating hydrogen takes energy Sometimes the process is powered by dirty fuels such as coal Renewable energy sources such as wind or solar can create a stronger cleaner hydrogen economy 8
Until the 1930s hydrogen was used to lift massive airships the way of a hydrogen-powered future One is making enough hydrogen It takes energy to produce the gas Also many hydrogen fuel cells are unable to make enough electricity to drive very long distances A lot of the energy they produce is not turned into useable electricity Another key issue is storage Tanks must store a lot of hydrogen safely at high pressure 9
