Technical Report - Proposal of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle to BlueSG

 Problem Statement 

Ideally, vehicles should be environmentally friendly and have reduced harmful emissions of gases, and a positive impact on human health. However, a large percentage of vehicles in Singapore still rely on non-environmentally friendly fuel or power sources.  The plan is to implement the use of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to reduce the carbon footprints in Singapore for the sustainability of the environment and individual health.

 

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this report is to propose to BlueSG the implementation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to limit the usage of conventional vehicles and bring about a reduction in carbon and harmful gas emissions in Singapore.

Benefits of Proposed Solution

1. Reduced Environmental Impacts

Hydrogen is a clean fuel. It is a source of energy that can be converted into electrical energy through the fuel cells to power the engine of hydrogen vehicles. When hydrogen fuel is converted to electrical energy, it will only produce water vapor and heat to the environment. This helps to reduce air pollution as no harmful gases are emitted, which also reduce the impacts of global warming. Without the emissions of particulates and carbon, people can prevent themselves from suffering respiratory diseases. 

 

2. Decreased Time Taken for Refuelling

Like other types of fuels, the fuelling of hydrogen to the tanks requires matters of minutes from an empty tank. On the other hand, electrical cells may take hours to charge. The time taken depends on the capacity and power supply used to charge the batteries.

 

3. Increased Efficiency for Built-in System

Hydrogen fuel cells have a much higher efficiency of converting its fuel into electricity compared to conventional internal combustion engines. With the same amount of fuel for each system, a fuel cell can produce a larger amount of power for automobiles (Liu, 2020). 

The hydrogen onboard the storage tank and oxygen from the air, supplied by the onboard air intake system, electric power is being generated on the go and is overseen by a power control unit. This control unit can charge or store excess electricity in the battery, power the engine, or both. With reduced moving parts than an internal combustion engine, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles have greater efficiency. This would also mean that consumers pay for what they get as an increase in efficiency means fewer undesired by-products.

 

4. Reduced Oil Dependency

Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles reduce the dependency on fossil fuel. Hydrogen can be extracted from sources like natural gas and coal, and the latest renewable sources hydrogen can be produced are electrolysis, biomass, and agricultural waste. With these technologies, the economy relies less on fossil fuel industries and can even produce their own hydrogen production.

Limitations of Proposed Solution

1. Hydrogen Production Cost

Hydrogen is widely available, yet it is expensive to extract hydrogen from different renewable sources.  Apart from that, it requires a lot of time and effort to obtain the hydrogen element. Although hydrogen fuel cells are being utilized in some other countries to power hybrid vehicles, it is a fuel source not feasible for everyone. Until further developed technology is made available to ease the process, hydrogen production will continue to be an expensive option.

2. Replacement of Infrastructure of Station and Vehicle

Petrol/diesel is used widely nowadays. As of now, there is not an infrastructure that can support hydrogen as fuel here in Singapore. That is why it is expensive to replace petrol/diesel vehicles. Also, vehicles need to be reconstructed or phased out to accommodate hydrogen fuel vehicles. 

3. Alternative Solution

According to an article in Channel News Asia (CNA), Mohan (2020) has quoted that the Finance Minister, Mr. Heng Swee Keat introduced a plan for Singapore to phase out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040. To proceed with the movement, a portion of petrol stations can be remodeled to supply hydrogen fuel. For example, an additional pump can be installed to stations to bring about convenience for hydrogen fuel vehicle users.

Conclusion

Global warming is a critical issue around the world and urgent actions should be taken to minimize its effects. The use of conventional vehicles contributes to a large amount of carbon footprints as fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel are used to power the engines. Moreover, emissions from vehicles and gasoline refineries are harmful to the environment. With the efforts of introducing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles through car rental services with BlueSG, green vehicles will become common in the market. Singapore may not be ready to accept hydrogen cell vehicles due to the lack of hydrogen refueling stations. However, the implementation of BlueSG’s electrical cars did not happen in a short period of time as well. The initial investment can lead to returns in the future, especially in the environmental sector. Ultimately, the efforts will lead to the phasing out of conventional vehicles in Singapore, which results in fewer carbon emissions and improves environmental health.