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Hydrogen creates a bridge for EVs
By Chris Tully
We have all seen the pictures of a Tesla being charged on the side of the road by a small , gas-powered generator . This illustrates the inherent challenges of EV charging and completely defeats the environmental mission , not to mention that it provides fodder for the anti-EV crowd . It can happen when the battery lacks sufficient energy to reach the next charging station . But what happens if the charging station itself doesn ’ t have the power ?
Meet the columnist Chris Tully is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in the power and hydrogen fuel cell industries . Chris was an early employee at Valere Power , a start-up in the telecom power industry . He also spent time with General Electric in Texas before joining Plug Power as the Vice President of Sales in 2014 . At Plug , Chris was involved with all aspects of the hydrogen ecosystem , including fuel cells , service , infrastructure , and the hydrogen molecule . Chris lives in Richmond , Virginia , and is currently an independent consultant and founder of ANDnotOR . info . You can follow Chris on LinkedIn at www . linkedin . com / in / chris-tully-andnotor .
This dilemma is unfolding globally as companies endeavor to transition to electric fleets , whether in the form of trucks , buses , or delivery vans . The primary challenge lies not in installing EV chargers but in getting the commercial utility service to the deployment site . In some cases , utilities quote timelines of three to four YEARS before they can provide the necessary power capacity . Additionally , the cost to install the distribution equipment can be exorbitant and typically falls on the shoulders of the customer .
We see the same scenario at municipalities attempting to roll out electric buses . For buses , chargers must be positioned at the main depot and strategically deployed around the routes so the buses can perform opportunity charging at points during the day . Without robust commercial interconnection to the grid , the chargers cannot be installed , rendering the buses inoperable .
For small fleets , a battery energy storage system ( BESS ) may be an answer . Companies like Pixii in Norway design systems that store renewable energy generated onsite during the day to charge vehicles at night . Systems like this are usually limited to only a few vehicles , so what do companies do if they have larger fleets ?
Hydrogen may be the answer , but not in the way that you may think . Yes , hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are the superior choice for some heavyduty or high-use applications . However , due to the distance traveled and daily workload , a battery electric vehicle is the better choice for many others .
How can hydrogen assist in the charging dilemma ? Stationary power fuel cells can provide the electricity required to charge the EV fleet until the utilities can supply the required commercial AC power . It is expensive ; creating hydrogen with an electrolyzer and then converting it back to electricity with a fuel cell requires four times the energy as charging the EV directly from the grid . However , few low-carbon emitting options exist if the grid will not arrive
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