Joshua Petry

ENG. 1201

Professor Cook

8 July 2020

Literature Review

Alternative energy is a path to the future. My topic covers two main alternative energies

for cars: electric and hydrogen. I want to know which energy is better by understanding them in

multiple ways. First off, I am looking at if they are cost efficient. Other things I am looking at is

use efficiency, if one lasts longer than the other. My last area is looking at their environmental

impact. Cars are a main cause of environmental problems, so by using alternative energy we can

help slow down the environmental crisis. After finding many sources to guide my questions and

research, I altered my original research question. The sources provided me with great evidence,

and I found more of an interest in the two leading energies. Which alternative fuel, hydrogen or

electric, is better to use in cars based on cost, efficiency, and environmental impact?

There are many points that the articles agreed on when reading. One of the most

important points was the environmental friendliness of hydrogen vehicles. The authors of the

article “Cleaning the Air and Improving Health With Hydrogen Fuel-cell Vehicles” said,

“Converting all U.S. onroad vehicles to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (HFCVs) may improve air

quality, health, and climate significantly” (Colella, Golden, Jacobson 1901). The authors believe

that there could be numerous benefits with switching to hydrogen powered vehicles. Their article

dives into potential benefits provided by an all-Hydrogen-fueled transportation system in the

U.S. An article by NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) said, “The only emissions
from the tailpipe are droplets of water" (Hicks 4). Hicks shows that there are no environmental

dangers from using hydrogen powered vehicles.

Another point agreed upon by many articles was the beneficial cost of electric vehicles.

Fulton said, “Another study indicated that hybrid vehicles were better than gas-powered vehicles

in terms of life-cycle costs and high travel miles” (Fulton 2). After looking into a study on hybrid

versus gas vehicles, it was found that hybrid could travel further in their lifetime making them

more cost effective. Fulton’s report on electric vehicles adds modern information to older

studies. Another writer agreed with Fulton claiming, “the report claims consumers who switch to

an electric vehicle can save $1300 on fuel and $300 on maintenance a year” (Guthrie 5). This

says that the Australian government’s report on electric vehicles states how much people can

save from purchasing an electric vehicle. Guthrie’s article provided information from Australia’s

government on the current benefits of buying an electric car.

While many authors agree on the benefits of alternatively powered vehicles, there are

some divergences. One way there is a difference is with the available number of charging

stations. Hicks mentions that the majority of Hydrogen charging stations in the U.S. are in

California. He gives an estimated number of around forty charging stations (Hicks 4).

Meanwhile the Alternative Fuels Data Center says the number of electric charging stations,

“reached nearly 22,000 in 2019, offering about 55,000 outlets” (“Alternative Fuels & Advanced

Vehicles”). These sources clearly show the imbalance between Hydrogen and Electric fuels. The

AFDC is a website with the department of energy that provides information on renewable

energies. This website was interestingly different to NREL, which is another government website

on alternative energies.
 While there are many reasons to be excited about alternative energies for vehicles, many

people are still weary. One main misconception is on the safety of Hydrogen gas in a vehicle.

The article, “Cleaning the Air and Improving Health With Hydrogen Fuel-cell Vehicles” showed

benefits of a total Hydrogen powered transportation system, while assuming a ten percent

hydrogen leakage rate. (Colella, Golden, Jacobson 1902). They did this to show a conservative

image of how the air quality could improve. Even with a huge rate of leaked Hydrogen, there

was still proof of a change in air quality. Another worry, also relating to safety, is on how to

store it safely. Hicks wrote, “hydrogen is compressed, stored, and then precooled for dispensing

at extremely cold temperatures—minus 40 degrees Celsius―because the hydrogen heats up as it

is dispensed into a fuel tank” (Hicks 8). He explains the way it is stored and distributed to

vehicles. The way he explains is just as safe as regular gasoline because it is compressed and

cooled. After gathering data from the sources, one answer to the research question could be:

Hydrogen is the better fuel for its environmental safety and safe storage, if it could meet electric

vehicles in number of refueling stations. Another possible answer could be, electric vehicles are

superior because of the numerous amounts of stations, positive environmental effect, and

economic incentives.
 Works Cited

“Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles.” Alternative Fuels Data Center: Alternative Fuels

and Advanced Vehicles, National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

afdc.energy.gov/fuels/index.html. Accessed 1 July 2020.

Fulton, Lawrence. “A Publicly Available Simulation of Battery Electric, Hybrid Electric, and

Gas-Powered Vehicles.” Energies (19961073), vol. 13, no. 10, May 2020, p.

2569. EBSCOhost, doi:10.3390/en13102569.

Hicks, Wayne. “NREL Research into Fueling Big Rigs Could Help More Hydrogen Vehicles Hit

the Road.” NREL.gov, NREL, 1 May 2020, www.nrel.gov/news/features/2020/nrel-

research-fueling-big-rigs-help-hydrogen-vehicles-hit-road.html.

Jacobson, M.Z., et al. "Cleaning the Air and Improving Health With Hydrogen Fuel-cell

Vehicles." Science, vol. 308, no. 5730, 2005, p. 1901+. Gale In Context: Opposing

Viewpoints, https://link-gale-com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A133864058/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=faa16a64. Accessed 5 July 2020.

Guthrie, Susannah. "NSW fast-tracks electric vehicles." Age [Melbourne, Australia], 21 Mar.

2020, p. 11. Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints, https://link-gale-

com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/A618033764/OVIC?

u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=f9f60c58. Accessed 5 July 2020.