ILAS PG Conference | Page 27

Matthew Christopher (Matt) Dillow School of Physical and Geographical Sciences How can hydrogen fuel cells revolutionize the UK’s transport sector? With the issues of climate change, there is a need for investment in low emission transport vehicles. One of the most viable options of these is hydrogen fuel cells which could potentially revolutionize the UK’s transport sector. In order for this to become a possibility, several challenges need to be addressed. These include a reduction to the economic cost, making it more in line with conventional petrol and diesel cars. Furthermore, research needs to address the durability of the fuel cells and issues associated with hydrogen storage on-boards cars. If these challenges can be overcome, the potential environmental benefits will be huge, both in direct and indirect savings of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. Postgraduate Conference 2016 Page 26