Application of Fuel Cells In the Automobile Industry
Dr. Yang Luo
Dr. Tiande Mo
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Green technology is in high demand in this century. In particular, the rapid growth of modern cities has led to increased transportation needs giving rise to heavy traffic, consumption of a large amount of fossil fuels, and ensuing environmental problems. Therefore, vehicle emissions must be controlled and reduced by implementing cleaner technologies. By reducing carbon emission and other pollutants, electric vehicles (EVs) have a positive impact on the environment. Hybrid vehicles (HVs) have been developed to reduce the use of internal combustion engines (ICEs) by combining them with electric motors, and with the advent of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the emission of greenhouse gases has been partly addressed. BEVs are zero-emission vehicles that operate entirely on electricity produced by batteries. However, BEVs do not radically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions since the electricity is mostly generated by thermal power plants. In addition, BEVs have their own drawbacks such as the limited driving range, long battery charging time, and battery safety. Although the development of near-zero-emission vehicles is still a big challenge, EVs fueled by renewable energy are the desirable choice since they emit only natural byproducts such as water rather than GHGs, consequently improving the air quality and human health.
Recently, fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have attracted more and more attention from the automobile industry with strong commercial interest. FCEVs are powered by electric motors that receive power from a fuel cell, and hydrogen combined with oxygen from air is the main energy mover in FCEVs. Fuel cells have higher energy densities than other energy devices rendering them suitable for long-range vehicular applications, and these benefits have consequently spurred the research and development of FCEVs. Plug-in FC hybrid electric vehicles (FCHEVs) and FC extended electric vehicles have also gained much attention. Fuel cells for electric vehicle power sources have a number of other benefits, including clean fuel, high efficiency, no harmful emission, and low noise.
This Special Issue focuses on all aspects of fuel cell applications in the automobile industry, in particular innovative fuel cell devices, advances in fuel cell applications, simulation and modelling of fuel cells, hybridization of fuel cell and either one or more auxiliary power sources, energy management and power distribution.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
Key technologies and advanced materials of fuel cells
Novel fuel cells, membrane electrodes and catalysts
Hydrogen fuel cell powertrains
Simulations and modelling of fuel cells
Application and testing of fuel cells in electric vehicles
Hybridization of fuel cells and other power sources
Life cycle analysis of fuel cells
Commercialization and markets of fuel cell electric vehicles
Endurance and acceleration of fuel cells
Hydrogen production, storage, transportation and refueling
Trends and new technologies of electric vehicles
Perspectives and reviews on fuel cell vehicles
You are welcome to submit your recent research studies or relevant state-of-the-art reviews on fuel cell applications in electric vehicles. We look forward to your contribution.
Best regards,
Dr. Yang Luo
Dr. Tiande Mo
Guest Editors