Making a Hydrogen Fuel Cell for Automobile Engines
- 1). Create a hydrogen storage tank that can fit within an automobile. The U.S. Department of Energy website states that hydrogen would have to be stored at large pressures to compress the hydrogen into a usable fuel for the car. The tank also must be able to store enough hydrogen for practical fuel uses. One electric car model, the Honda FCX Clarity, holds around 4 kilograms of hydrogen.
- 2). Connect a fuel stack cell to the hydrogen storage tank. A fuel stack cell turns the hydrogen gas and outside oxygen from the air into electricity. Essentially, the cell uses positive protons from hydrogen atoms to create an electric current. The waste product from this is water, since the negative hydrogen atoms combine with the oxygen.
- 3). Connect the fuel stack cell to the electric motor. The motor is similar to that of an electric car, but it uses the created electricity of the fuel stack cell instead of electricity from an external charging station.