Abstract
This paper examines the net environmental impact for the Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle, in special the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (SOFCEV), by exploring how different fuels operate alongside the cell, through the analysis of its equivalent carbon dioxide emissions and energy-ecological efficiency. Thermodynamic analysis showed high theoretical efficiency for the SOFCEV with internal steam-reforming, mainly in the ideal temperature range indicated for equipment longevity. Ethanol and biomethane had minor environmental impact when compared to gasoline and glycerine. Biofuel-fuelled SOFCEV showed a thermodynamic performance like the obtained for gasoline. Also, biofuel-fuelled SOFCEV presented CO2e exhaust emissions capable to attend all future tailpipe emissions standards from the European Union and the United States. Glycerine had the lowest energy-ecological efficiency, while biomethane-fuelled SOFCEV has demonstrated to be the best energy and environmental scenario compared to the other analysed fuels. This paper might contribute to the reduction of climatic impacts related to the transport sector by showing that the SOFCEV achieve high energy-ecological efficiency when fuelled with biofuels. The use of biofuel-fuelled SOFCEV is considered a viable option that might enable decision making to favour the electromobility development.
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Abbreviations
- c, K, n:
-
Constants
- CH4 :
-
Biomethane
- CO:
-
Carbon monoxide
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- CO2e:
-
Equivalent carbon dioxide
- C2H5OH:
-
Ethanol
- C3H8O3 :
-
Glycerine
- C8H18 :
-
Gasoline surrogate
- E 0 :
-
Nemst potential under standard conditions
- F:
-
Faraday’s constant
- f CO2e :
-
Equivalent carbon dioxide emission factor of the steam-reforming process
- f CO2e/km :
-
Equivalent carbon dioxide per kilometer emission factor
- h :
-
Hydrocarbon index
- H2 :
-
Hydrogen
- K e(T):
-
Equilibrium constant as a function of temperature
- LHV f :
-
Lower heating value of fuel
- M CO2 :
-
Molecular mass of carbon dioxide
- M f :
-
Molecular mass of fuel
- n c :
-
Number of carbon atoms contained in the hydrocarbon
- n CO2 :
-
Number of moles of carbon dioxide
- n f :
-
Number of moles of fuel
- q :
-
Electrical charge that passes through the electrolyte
- R:
-
Universal gas constant
- T:
-
Operating temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell
- U :
-
Hydrogen utilization factor
- V a :
-
Average speed in urban roads
- vf r :
-
Vapor-fuel ratio
- \(W\) :
-
, Solid oxide fuel cell power
- BEV:
-
Battery electric vehicle
- EMF:
-
Electromotive force
- GHG:
-
Greenhouse gases
- GWP:
-
Global warming potential
- HEV:
-
Hybrid electric vehicle
- HFCEV:
-
Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle
- ICEV:
-
Internal combustion engine vehicle
- PEMFC:
-
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell
- PHEV:
-
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
- SOFC:
-
Solid oxide fuel cell
- SOFCEV:
-
Solid oxide fuel cell electric vehicle
- \(\Delta G\) :
-
Gibbs free energy variation
- \(\varepsilon\) :
-
Energy-ecological efficiency
- \(\eta\) :
-
Solid oxide fuel cell efficiency
- \(\Pi p\) :
-
Pollution indicator
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Acknowledgements
The authors are very grateful to the financial support provided by the Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the Iberoamerican Program of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED) with the project Smart Cities Totally Comprehensive, Efficient and Sustainable (CITIES). CODE: 518RT0557.
Funding
The Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) and the Iberoamerican Program of Science and Technology for Development (CYTED) with the project Smart Cities Totally Comprehensive, Efficient and Sustainable (CITIES). CODE: 518RT0557.
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DRM: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing—Original Draft and Visualization. LOS: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing—Original Draft and Visualization. RAMB: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Supervision and Project Administration. KFO: Methodology and Investigation. LHC, Vanessa de Almeida Guimarães, Gisele Maria Ribeiro Vieira: Writing—Review and Editing.
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de Moraes, D.R., Soares, L.O., de Almeida Guimarães, V. et al. Energy-ecological efficiency of the fuel cell electric vehicle powered by different biofuels. Clean Techn Environ Policy 24, 1389–1402 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02250-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02250-5