Hydrogen energy car promotion blocked

The famous car analyst Zhong Shi has said so. “When it comes to fuel cell vehicles, the most difficult problem to solve is hydrogenation.” It is understood that there are currently only two hydrogen refueling stations in China, one in Beijing and the other in Shanghai.

In the Anting hydrogenation station on the outskirts of Shanghai, in addition to a hydrogenation device with a shape similar to that of a tanker, other equipment including hydrogen storage devices, hydrogen pressurizing devices, and hydrogen transport vehicles have been subjected to high barbed wire fences. In the circle, non-workers are prohibited from entering. Many obvious signs of flammable and explosive were hung on the station. The staff said that the main task of the station is to provide fuel for the fuel cell bus that SAIC Motor is trying to run.

Restricted hydrogen source

"This is a chicken or egg problem first." Shanghai Anting hydrogen station construction company, deputy manager of Xiaohua New Energy Qian Xiaofei believes that, very similar to the plight of electric vehicles, fuel cells also need to face the "first Selling cars or building infrastructure first."

According to Qian Xiaofei, at present, there are two main ways of hydrogen production: one is the industrial by-product gas formed during the processing of petroleum and coal, which can be obtained after purification; the second is based on natural gas, natural gas. The main component is methane, with hydrogen, which needs to be extracted and then purified. "At present, both technologies are relatively mature and can achieve mass production." Qian Xiaofei said. However, he also said that the current price of hydrogen is still slightly higher than gasoline.

Qian Xiaofei said that the source of hydrogen for the Anting Hydrogen Refueling Station is industrial byproduct hydrogen, and the buyer is Bao Hydrogen Gas Company. Bao hydrogen gas company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Baosteel Group, and it is also the external window of industrial gas of Baosteel Group. It is understood that the total amount of industrial by-product hydrogen produced in China each year is huge, and it can meet the needs of fuel cell industrialization. At present, most companies deal with the by-product hydrogen directly after combustion, and these gases are rarely recycled and reused.

Some analysts believe that if industrial byproduct hydrogen is used as the energy source for fuel cells, two problems must be solved. First, the sources of industrial gases are relatively dispersed and the factories are distributed all over the country. It is difficult to concentrate these gases on a large scale; second, the hydrogen purity required for fuel cells is high, and industrial gases need to undergo more complicated separation and purification, so the cost is not Cheaper.

Qian Xiaofei proposed another solution: “If the future fuel cell becomes large-scale and industrialized, the amount of hydrogen will increase. At that time, we may adopt electrolytic water to make hydrogen. After all, the cost of electricity is relatively low. For example, large-scale electrolyzers are set up in hydrogen refueling stations, or they are combined with new energy sources such as photovoltaics and wind energy.

High storage and transportation costs

Because of the extremely small density and large unit volume, regardless of whether hydrogen is stored or transported, a pressurized device capable of strongly compressing the volume of hydrogen must be used, and special high-pressure-resistant cylinders must be used throughout. And these costs are diluted to the price of hydrogen, which is also a small sum of money.

According to the staff of the hydrogen refueling station, the current domestic method of storing high-pressure gaseous hydrogen is 35 megapascals. In general, a full-scale hydrogen can travel 300 kilometers, and the actual driving distance exceeds 150 kilometers. Qian Xiaofei said: “Now, technically, pressure can be raised to 70 megapascals, but the requirements for storage equipment are higher and the cost will increase. When the pressure is doubled, theoretical mileage will also increase. Times."

In addition, the construction cost of the hydrogen refueling station is much higher than that of the auto gas station and the electric vehicle charging station. It is understood that when the Anting hydrogen refueling station was established in 2007, the cost was about 16 million yuan. "Now with the localization of many parts, the cost has decreased compared with the past." Hydro-refuelling station staff said. In the hydrogen refueling station, part of the hydrogen storage facilities was provided by Shijiazhuang Enrico Gas Machinery Co., Ltd., which is a member of the Hong Kong-listed company CIMC Enric (03899.HK).

The "mobile refueling station" in the form of automobiles at the Anting hydrogen refueling station is also called a hydrogen refueling station substation. Intuitively, the mobile hydrogen refueling station is a large truck loaded with several lengthened hydrogen storage tanks, which can greatly increase the coverage and utilization efficiency of the hydrogen refueling station. At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, a total of 196 fuel cell vehicles were operated inside and outside the park. In order to solve the problem of energy supplementation for these vehicles, Anting hydrogen refueling station has established two mobile substations, which are located outside the park because of safety considerations. The two “hydrogenation substations” were opened at night to fill the hydrogen station to fill up with hydrogen, and during the day they provided energy supplements for vehicles in the park.

Suitable for public transportation

Taking into account the issues of safety, equipment complexity, etc., fuel cell vehicles must solve the problem of hydrogenation, and special hydrogen refueling stations must be built. Unlike electric vehicles, home recharging is the best solution. Therefore, in view of the limitation of the coverage of the hydrogen refueling station, the fuel cell may be more suitable for the commercial operation of fixed-line, medium- and short-haul commercial vehicles.

Because hydrogen is difficult to transport and store, hydrogen energy is harder to use than electrical energy for coverage. The power grid has already entered millions of households. The use of electricity is very mature and popular. Just like the tap water, only need to connect a suitable faucet, or a slight modification of the water pipe, can be very convenient to obtain the necessary resources. The electric car only needs to be equipped with an appropriate power interface, and the circuit can be charged by adjusting it slightly. Hydrogen does not have such a civil basis.

On the other hand, fuel cell refueling is fast, and this advantage can be better reflected in commercial operations. For example, taxis, buses, freight forklifts, etc., the frequency of use will directly dilute the purchase cost of equipment, so that the overall utilization rate will be improved. In the private passenger vehicle market, it is not so sensitive to the continuous use of vehicles, and it is time for intermittent use of sufficient supplementary power.

Industry researcher Xu Da said that not only fuel cell vehicles, but also various new energy vehicles are suitable for public transportation. The first is the demonstration effect of the industry, such as BYD's taxi operation; the second is the rapid formation of batches and lower production costs; the third is the high frequency of use, the economic effect of low-cost energy is obvious, and even zero-car purchases can be achieved. Only save fuel money to offset the fare.