The dark blue Toyota Mirai (Japanese for "future") parked outside the offices of ITM Power in Sheffield, northern England, is a rare beast. At the time of writing it was one of just 28 fuel-cell cars on the road in the UK, pioneering the use of hydrogen to power private and public transport.
This particular model is especially rare because its hydrogen cells have been generated from wind power. Although hydrogen can be produced from reformed gas or biomass, the preferred method is to synthesise the gas from water using electrolysis, which requires electricity. The cleaner the source of electricity generation, the cleaner the car. The only tailpipe emissions from fuel cell cars is water.
The range of fuel cell cars is also better than EVs. The Mirai can do around 550km on a full 5kg tank, which costs about £50 to fill up. In rough terms, that is equivalent to a petrol-powered car with a real-world fuel consumption of 7.58 litres/100km (37 miles per gallon). at current UK pump prices (£1.20/litre).
Wind power is key to the company's strategy, says CEO Graham Cooley, outlining plans for a 1MW system on the Orkney Isles. "The wind is an incredible resource up there, but there's no grid connection, so curtailment occurs a lot." The system will produce hydrogen from excess wind, which will be shipped to mainland Orkney for refuelling cars and heating.
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On the road in a wind-powered car | Windpower Monthly
This particular model is especially rare because its hydrogen cells have been generated from wind power. Although hydrogen can be produced from reformed gas or biomass, the preferred method is to synthesise the gas from water using electrolysis, which requires electricity. The cleaner the source of electricity generation, the cleaner the car. The only tailpipe emissions from fuel cell cars is water.
The range of fuel cell cars is also better than EVs. The Mirai can do around 550km on a full 5kg tank, which costs about £50 to fill up. In rough terms, that is equivalent to a petrol-powered car with a real-world fuel consumption of 7.58 litres/100km (37 miles per gallon). at current UK pump prices (£1.20/litre).
Wind power is key to the company's strategy, says CEO Graham Cooley, outlining plans for a 1MW system on the Orkney Isles. "The wind is an incredible resource up there, but there's no grid connection, so curtailment occurs a lot." The system will produce hydrogen from excess wind, which will be shipped to mainland Orkney for refuelling cars and heating.
more
On the road in a wind-powered car | Windpower Monthly