Introduction
The fuel cell does not just combine the advantages of the electric drive with those of the combustion engine but in fact improves one aspect of performance. While the electric drive stands for highly efficient green energy, the combustion engine stands for ease of handling over an extensive cruising range. When it comes to energy efficiency, the fuel cell even outdoes the battery.
Both fuel cells and batteries can produce climate-neutral energy. It is the amount of electricity required that poses the problem here. In the medium term, ecologically generated electricity is not able to satisfy the energy demands of what is a growing number of electrically powered vehicles. This additional demand could only be met by means of electricity generation that cause CO2. The advantage of the fuel cell is that, unlike electricity, the energy source required to operate it (e.g. methanol, hydrogen) can be supplied via a wide variety of climate-neutral processes.
Besides green generation
Besides green generation of electricity, the amount of energy consumed is relevant to environmental protection. Energy efficiency plays an important role in this regard. The transport and storage of electric energy leads to a considerable amount of energy being lost, even with batteries. However, as far as transport and storage are concerned, the energy sources for fuel cells are extremely efficient. In fact, there is no loss involved in the storage of methanol. Regarding energy efficiency, fuel cells are thus far more economic and ecological than batteries.
Another argument in favour of the fuel cell is the very good balance of materials and energy during production, since here again, batteries are far less ecological and economic. The very high proportion of heavy metals and other expensive materials in the batteries pollutes the environment and escalates costs.
