Technology 2 min read

Scientists Develop Hydrogen Paste to Power Vehicles

petrmalinak / Shutterstock.com

petrmalinak / Shutterstock.com

A team of researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute has developed a hydrogen paste to fuel vehicles.

Climate change already has observable effects on the environment. Not only are glaciers shrinking, but various regions are also experiencing an accelerated sea-level rise.

There are also warming oceans, intense drought, and several extreme weather events. As a result, many are turning away from fossil fuel to power their vehicles.

Instead, they’re considering alternatives such as electric vehicles — and yes, hydrogen.

According to projections, the hydrogen industry could surge to generate $2.5 trillion in revenue by 2050. It’s no wonder that experts believe that hydrogen cars could be the biggest threat to Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Unfortunately, hydrogen fuel is expensive.

In 2018, a French Startup, Pragma Industries began selling its hydrogen-powered bike at $9,000 per unit. However, the charging station was even less affordable at $36,000.

Now, researchers at the Germany-based Fraunhofer Institute developed a product to address this issue. And it’s called the POWERPASTE.

In a statement to the press, a research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute, Marcus Vogt said:

“POWERPASTE stores hydrogen in a chemical form at room temperature and atmospheric pressure to be then released on demand.”

There’s more!

Creating Hydrogen Paste to Fuel Vehicles

The researchers created POWERPASTE from a magnesium base and stored it in the form of a cartridge.

That means drivers have to purchase the hydrogen paste cartridges to refuel their vehicle. It also involves swapping a used hydrogen cartridge with a new one and filling the tank with water.

According to the researchers, the paste is a safer and more convenient option than the regular hydrogen fuel. It’s also significantly cheaper and has a massive capacity.

Vogt explained:

“POWERPASTE … has a huge energy storage density. It is substantially higher than that of a 700 bar high-pressure tank. And compared to batteries, it has 10 times the energy storage density.”

The researchers also suggested that the range of their paste is similar to gallons of gasoline — and may even exceed it.

For this reason, it could be a viable option for cars and portable fuel cells for camping trips. It could also be useful in drones.

Read More: Improving the Production of Hydrogen from Food Waste

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Sumbo Bello

Sumbo Bello is a creative writer who enjoys creating data-driven content for news sites. In his spare time, he plays basketball and listens to Coldplay.

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