Hydrogen frequently asked questions
Check our FAQ section or contact one of our representatives for more details.
BGE produces hydrogen from electrolysis and solar for true green energy. There are a few common ways today to process hydrogen for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and other applications. Steam reforming of methane is the most common method today. Methane, most of which comes from natural gas, is combined with high-temperature steam to separate the hydrogen
A hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle, such as the Toyota Mirai, is powered by a cluster of individual fuel cells, known as a fuel-cell stack. The stack contains enough cells to provide the necessary power for the vehicle. A fuel-cell stack produces power as long as there is hydrogen in the tank. The electricity generated by the fuel-cell stack powers the electric motor in the vehicle that moves the vehicle down the road.
No. It has been around for decades. The first hydrogen fuel-cell powered generators were developed in 1939. NASA put hydrogen fuel cells into spacecrafts in the 1950s and 60s to power on-board electronics and also to produce water for the astronauts. Industrial vehicles such as fork-lifts have been powered in some cases by fuel cells since the 1960s. The German Navy launched a fuel-cell powered submarine in 2002.
Longer range and short fill-up time for a start. FCEVs has a range of about 300 to 450 miles, and the tank takes just a few minutes to re-fill. Most electric vehicles take hours to recharge and have much shorter ranges.
According to the Department of Energy, Hydrogen is transported safely through 700 miles of US pipelines and 70 million gallons of liquid hydrogen is transported annually by truck over US highways without major incident. Hydrogen powered vehicles carry compressed hydrogen on board in very strong tanks. These high-pressure tanks have routinely survived simulated rear-end crashes at speeds up to 52 mph without leaking. The same cannot be said about gasoline tanks.
Oil, the source of gasoline, is only found in some parts of the world. It has to be shipped and trucked, which is expensive and energy intensive. Hydrogen is found everywhere, and given the availability of technology, can be produced and used for both transportation and stationary energy to power buildings without the same level of carbon dioxide.
The hydrogen vehicles sold today are supported by roadside assistance from the company that sold it. With careful planning, though which BGE helps with, you shouldn’t run out of hydrogen.
Yes. In fact, hydrogen vehicles arguably have better acceleration than most gasoline-powered vehicles. The energy that propels the vehicle down the road has fewer moving parts to power or travel through. Hydrogen fuel-cell and electric vehicles powered by batteries are a lot of fun to drive.