Vidic, 2:00
R21
FUEL-CELL CARS: FUELING THE FUTURE
Jacob Kuhn (jak217@pitt.edu)
INTRODUCTION: ‘FUEL CELL
CARS’: MEETING ENERGY, HEALTH
AND ENVIRONMENTAL NEEDS
Cars, buses, trucks, and sport utility vehicles are
all adding to a growing set of problems with their
daily usage. These problems affect not only the
United States of America, but the world as a whole.
The issues being referenced are global warming,
human and environmental endangerment, and
depletion of fossil fuels. Both the environment and
our bodies can’t fight off such pollutants and the
fossil fuels of today’s vehicles will eventually run
out. Due to the problems associated with combustion
engine vehicles, fuel cell technologies need to be
further researched and incorporated in the mass
production vehicles of today. This research paper will
evaluate on the previously stated points and prove the
importance of both the engineering ethics to the
production of fuel cell vehicles and the importance of
this assignment to an engineering student’s education
and role in society.
FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY:
PERSONAL INTEREST
When considering a topic for this research paper,
I had many options to choose from. Fuel cell
technology stood out to me as the most important
topic I could write about for two reasons, the first of
which being my engineering field of choice. I aspire
to be a mechanical engineer upon graduation from
the University of Pittsburgh. Mechanical engineering
is defined as the branch of engineering that
encompasses the generation and application of heat
and mechanical power and the design, production,
and use of machines and tools [1]. Therefore, cars
would be included in this field of study and I will
most likely be involved with some type of vehicular
work in either college or during my career. The
second reason for choosing this topic came from the
impact of such subject on my life. When I imagine a
world that hasn’t developed the technology to survive
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering
10/30/2012
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without gasoline to power our vehicles, I see a world
that will crumble when such time comes.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING:
“ETHICS AND ADVANCEMENT”
As stated in the preamble of the engineering code
of ethics: “Engineering is an important and learned
profession. As members of this profession, engineers
are expected to exhibit the highest standards of
honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and
vital impact on the quality of life for all people.
Accordingly, the services provided by engineers
require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity,
and must be dedicated to the protection of the public
health, safety, and welfare. Engineers must perform
under a standard of professional behavior that
requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical
conduct.” With such code of ethics to abide by, I feel
that mechanical engineers have a duty to society to
advance and perfect fuel cell technology.
The first area that mechanical engineers must take
into consideration when designing and constructing
fuel cell vehicles is the first fundamental canon under
the NSPE code of ethics: “Engineers shall hold
paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the
public”[2]. Therefore, when ethics are in place the
public could not be directly put in harm’s way by
driving a fuel cell vehicle that was built with their
safety, health, welfare in mind. I would rather drive a
car that I know is safe for any passengers and myself
inside due to a code that holds those who designed
this car to assuring it is the best option for the public.
I imagine this feeling is almost universal due to the
importance of one’s safety while operating a motor
vehicle. The code of ethics is also guiding us to fuel
cell vehicles based on the idea of the importance of
public health. This paper will go into further detail
about how combustion engines create harmful
byproducts later, but in short, fuel cell vehicles are
the public’s best option based on their lack of
negative impact on human health. This idea of health
impact also ties in with a statement from the ASME’s
Jacob Kuhn
code of ethics: “Engineers shall consider
environmental impact in the performance of their
professional duties”[3]. If mechanical engineers did
not further research and attempt to develop more
efficient fuel cell vehicles, they would not be
pursuing what is best for the environment. It has been
proven and will be noted later why combustion
engines are worse for our environment and therefore,
if the cleaner fuel cell vehicles aren’t researched then
mechanical engineers would not be following their
code of ethics to keep the environment a first priority.
Therefore, with the NSPE and ASME’s codes of
ethics in place, mechanical engineers should advance
and perfect fuel cell technology based on such codes.
Considering the ethics and information I have
uncovered about my engineering discipline of choice
and important projects, I feel I will be an effective
part of the engineering community due to the
contributions I could make. I feel I will put the
environment and the public’s safety, health, and
welfare first as I search for new breakthroughs in the
mechanical processes of today. My support of fuel
cell vehicles is a primary example of my value of
ethics and how important they are in engineering.
world sea levels rising due to melting ice, increased
precipitation, worsening and more commonly
occurring natural disasters, lack of fresh water,
spread of diseases and changing ecosystems. These
effects would destroy the world as we know it and
investing more money and research into fuel cell
vehicles could help the situation. Fuel cell vehicles
could stop the pollution created by combustion
engines and in turn extend the span of time that our
planet is livable by slowing global warming and not
destroying our ecosystems.
Fuel cell cars operate while only creating the
byproduct of water. While fuel-cell vehicles are
similar to battery-electric vehicles, a fuel-cell vehicle
uses an onboard storage structure filled with
hydrogen, which is today’s best option. Hydrogen
can be produced domestically from several sources,
reducing our dependence on petroleum imports.
Hydrogen also produces no air pollutants or
greenhouse gases when used in fuel cells. A fuel-cell
car utilizes the fuel cell’s ability to transform
hydrogen input into an output of electricity. This
electricity produced by the fuel cell is then used to
power motors at the vehicle's wheels. Although fuelcell vehicles are similar to battery-electric vehicles
due to being powered by electricity, they don’t
require recharging and produce distilled water as a
clean byproduct [5]. Fuel-cell vehicles require a
simple refilling of their onboard storage tanks of
hydrogen. The process of refueling a hydrogen tank
is almost identical to that of a combustion engine’s
refueling process. A customer would pay for
hydrogen at a pumping station and hook a hose up to
a port in their car to force more hydrogen in to their
on board storage tanks. Therefore, when the fuel-cell
car’s power system is compared to that a harmful
byproduct producing combustion engine, it is clear
that time and money must be invested in the
development of more fuel-cell vehicles.
FUEL CELL BYPRODUCTS: WATER
WINS OVER GLOBAL WARMING
A major factor in the case against today’s
vehicles and for the fuel cell cars of the future, is the
waste or byproducts of the processes used to operate
each system and the impact they have on our
environment.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund,
cars annually release approximately 333 million tons
of carbon dioxide, fifty-two percent of reactive
hydrocarbons and seventy-two percent of the
nitrogen oxides into the Earth’s atmosphere [4].
When the previously noted byproducts are created,
possible health and environmental issues, that will be
noted later, are created. The 333 million tons of
carbon dioxide previously noted is equivalent to 20
percent of the world’s total. With the introduction of
fuel cell cars, this massive amount of pollutant would
be eliminated from being created by vehicles. Global
warming, which is caused by the large amount of
pollutants created due to today’s gasoline combustion
engines, can lead to serious problems for our planet.
These effects could include but are not limited to:
COMBUSTION ENGINE AIR-BORNE
POLLUTANTS: ILLNESS CAUSING
PARTICLES
Today’s combustion engines generate power to
move vehicles by burning fuel in an engine. Pollution
created in gasoline-burning cars in comparison to
clean fuel-cell cars can be broken into two major
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Jacob Kuhn
categories: the byproducts of the combustion and the
evaporation of the fuel.
When fuel molecules in an engine don’t burn
fully or at all, hydrocarbon emissions are created.
Sunlight and nitrogen oxides cause hydrocarbons to
react and ground-level ozone is formed [4]. Groundlevel ozone is necessary to form smog, a major
environmental danger, and such a byproduct isn’t
created by a fuel cell car. Ozone is a difficult air
pollution to maintain and is widespread. It damages
the health and capacity of the lungs, bothers the eyes,
and can create respiratory problems [4]. The
emissions of today’s gasoline and diesel burning
vehicles aren’t limited to just causing ground-level
ozone to be formed, but can also cause cancer due to
their toxicity.
Nitrogen oxides, another pollutant and byproduct
of combustion, are formed by oxygen and nitrogen
atoms that are placed under the high temperatures
and pressures of an engine [4]. These dangerous
byproducts, which would not be created by fuel cell
vehicles, also aid in forming the previously discussed
dangerous ground-level ozone. These byproducts can
also contribute to the formation of the destructive
acid rain.
Incomplete combustion occurs when carbon in
the fuel isn’t fully oxidized to from the normal
byproduct of carbon dioxide, which will be
mentioned following this point. When incomplete
combustion occurs, a byproduct of carbon monoxide
is created. Reducing the flow of oxygen in the
bloodstream is an effect of exposure to carbon
monoxide [4]. Carbon monoxide can also be harmful
to those with heart conditions.
Carbon dioxide is the most commonly recognized
byproduct of combustion. It is known to contribute to
the “greenhouse gas effect,” and could be a serious
health factor if constant deforestation continues to
occur. The “greenhouse gas effect,” a problem which
fuel-cell cars would not add to, is contributing to
global warming by containing the earth’s heat.
Besides the previously noted method of
combustion causing hydrocarbon production,
evaporation of fuel from a gasoline or diesel system
contributes to pollution. The four types of
evaporation include diurnal, running losses, hot soak,
and refueling [1]. Diurnal encompasses gasoline
evaporating due to the temperature outside heating
the tank of fuel and gasoline vapors leak due to such
conditions. Running losses refers to the vaporization
of gasoline caused by the heat of the car’s exhaust
system and engine. Hot soak follows running losses
as the engine remains at a high temperature after
turning the vehicle off and more gasoline is
evaporated. Refueling causes vapors to be removed
from the tank due to the fuel that is now occupying
that space.
Fuel-cell vehicles don’t create pollutants via
combustion or evaporation due to neither process
being a possibility. Combustion doesn’t occur in this
type of vehicle and the fuel is hydrogen, therefore no
leakage of gasoline vapors could occur when it is not
present. Fuel-cell cars need to be invested to in to
save our health and our environment’s.
COMBUSTION BYPRODUCTS:
BODILY SYSTEMS IMPACT
Although the individual impacts of car emissions
vary from person to person, these emissions have
proven to cause a variety of health problems. The
consensus on emissions is that more exposure leads
to more health concerns. Any individual with
previous underlying health conditions will be at a
greater risk due to such.
Car emissions have a large impact on the human
respiratory system. An estimated 24,000 premature
deaths occur annually in the United Kingdom due to
the air pollution [6]. Bronchitis and asthma are two
major causes of deaths that are linked to the
respiratory system and poor air quality. Poor air
quality is linked to the emissions from the today’s
combustion engines. Therefore, introducing fuel-cell
vehicles to the market would eliminate such
problems.
According to a Dutch study, an increase in the
number of respiratory disorders occurred when the
condition of the air worsened due to pollution. This
study was of 632 children aged seven to eleven years
old. The Dutch study also found that areas of high
nitrogen dioxide and emissions particles lead to more
illnesses from disorders of the lungs [6].
The blood and coronary system are also affected
by the dangerous pollutants of combustion engines.
An estimated 50 heart attacks occur annually in
London which can be linked to the air pollution due
to car emissions [6].
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Jacob Kuhn
is expected to last the next forty-two years if today’s
rate of oil use continues. This is alarming amount of
time when there hasn’t been a major push to find
alternative fuel sources when oil has been depleted.
A primary example of a problem causing
byproducts is lead. The normal formation of red
blood cells is hindered due to the properties of lead
which impede important enzymes. It also causes
damage to the membrane of the red blood cells and
affects the metabolism of the cell. When the
metabolism of the cell is altered, it shortens the life
span of each cell which can lead to anemia. Anemia
reduces the ability to circulate vital nutrients and
oxygen throughout the body. Benzene, a secondary
example of harm done to the blood and coronary
system, decreases the amount of bone marrow and
red blood cells created by the human body. Benzene
exposure can cause cytopenia, a total loss of bone
marrow, and anemia. Carbon monoxide is another
potential danger to our bodies which can be linked to
combustion engine exhaust. Carbon monoxide
poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide binds to the
red blood cells’ hemoglobin and is similar to
asphyxiation. The cells’ abilities to transport and
release oxygen to the body’s tissues is negatively
affected by the bonding of carbon monoxide to the
hemoglobin.
Fuel-cell vehicles don’t create pollutants which
can harm any of the body’s systems and should be
focused on by our government as the transportation
option of the near future.
FUEL-CELL PROGESSION: ROAD
BLOCKS TO PRODUCTION
With all the positive things for the
implementation of fuel-cell vehicles, there are also
reasons that have kept them from being mass
produced. The first and considerably most consumer
important reason is the high cost that is associated
with the vehicles. These vehicles would cost up to ten
times that of a combustion engine vehicle and the
fuel cell vehicle would not be price effective over its
duration at this time. Fuel cells are high in price due
to the catalyst necessary to split hydrogen to create
energy. The best-known catalyst at this is platinum
which is driving up the price of these vehicles.
Alternative catalysts would be a necessary area of
research with an input of research funds from the
government.
A second major concern is the durability and
safety associated with fuel cell vehicles. Fuel cell
vehicles require on-board storage tanks of hydrogen
to store its fuel source. The storage tanks would have
to be able to prevent the hydrogen from freezing.
This feature would add to the price and weight of
such storage systems. These tanks could also be a
concern due to the extra weight they add to the
vehicle and the potential problem of an explosion.
Although this is a concern with combustion engine
vehicles as well, a possible explosion could result
from a punctured hydrogen tank exposed to a flame.
These factors need to be overcome through research
that would make these vehicles more appealing to
consumers.
A third major step to incorporating fuel cell
vehicles in today’s world is the development of
hydrogen fueling stations. These stations would have
to be as ready available as gas stations. This major
step of production would require a government
investment to get these established.
FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY: NOT
DEPENDENT ON A DYING
RESOURCE
Although oil has satisfied the past and present
needs of the automobile industry, it will run out in the
future as it is a non-renewable resource. Before this
time comes, the people of earth must be ready to
adapt to life without such a resource.
Hydrogen will outlast oil due to its properties of
renewability. Air and water can be used to generate
hydrogen and it can be refined from resources that
are non-renewable. Hydrogen is the most common
gas in the universe and its power is greater than
gasoline’s when measured by weight.
BP oil figures revealed global reserves to be at
1.258 trillion barrels, which was three billions less
than the previous year’s estimate [7]. This drop in the
global oil reserves was the first reported decrease in
global reserves in the last decade. This supply of oil
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Jacob Kuhn
EDUCATIONAL VALUE: “RESEARCH
AND ETHICS”
would lack experience with making a decision on a
major engineering issue. I would highly recommend
other universities adopting a project similar to this
one for their students to take on.
An important step to any mechanical engineer’s
success is his or her education and what they could
take away from that education. I will use examples
from my personal experience with this assignment to
prove its importance in the education of any
freshman engineering student. When a student puts in
the research and time towards an engineering issue
and the impact of ethics on such issue, they have
changed their way of analyzing problems and have
put themselves on a side of a critical issue. I
personally have learned more about the field of
mechanical engineering through this project and
about the engineering issues that present themselves
in this field. Anne Colby and William M. Sullivan
make a great statement in Ethics Teaching in
Undergraduate Education about how important a
project like this is: “Engineering education cannot
fully prepare students to handle successfully the most
difficult situations in which their work seems to
entail risks to the public, but helping students to
understand and deeply internalize the core values of
safety and environmental protection can sensitize
them to these issues and flag for them the kinds of
situation in which action of some kind may be
necessary.
In order to be prepared for practice that embodies
these values, students need to develop a keen
awareness of the potential risks of their work, both
immediate and long-term; they need to experience
grappling with the inevitable trade-offs between
safety or environmental sustainability and other
concerns, such as cost and time pressures; they need
help thinking about whether and how their
responsibilities regarding safety and human welfare
vary depending on their particular role in their
workplace; and they need support in developing
personal qualities like the courage needed to make
and carry out difficult decisions” [8].
I personally notice how a mechanical engineer
would have to balance between making the fuel cell
car a great option on the basis of environmental
impact, but also a safe and affordable car for a
consumer. Without performing the necessary
research and dedicating my time to this paper, I
would not have thought in such a manner before and
CONCLUSION: “FUEL-CELL CARS”:
CARS FOR A BETTER FUTURE
With a political election quickly approaching our
country, voters should look to their environment,
their health, and their futures when deciding how to
judge a candidate’s standpoint on fuel-cell car
development. We must also make ethics a concern in
the education of engineering students and in the
process of designing and constructing fuel cell
vehicles. With a crisis on the horizon and money not
invested into the mass development of fuel-cell
vehicles, citizens should know how harmful to
themselves and their environment standard
combustion engines are. Although there are some
temporary roadblocks to the success of fuel-cell
vehicles, with the investment of the government
research can be done to improve and perfect these
vehicles. When situations such as safety, cost, and
refueling are taken care, fuel cell vehicles would be
the best option in the transportation industry. If the
eighty-five percent of Americans that travel via
combustion engine transportation switched to fuelcell vehicles, the problems previously noted would
almost vanish. Dangers such as global warming,
anemia, premature deaths, cytopenia, damaged red
blood cells and running out of fuel would be fears of
the past if fuel-cell cars became the vehicle of choice.
Whether the United States plans to deal with these
possible crises when they are presented or before
they arise, mass production of fuel-cell vehicles is the
best option to satisfy the needs of the modern world.
RESOURCES
[1] Chase, Robin. (2010). "You Asked: Does
Everyone in America Own a Car?" U.S. Department
of State, Bureau of International Information
Programs.
(Online
Article).
http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplaceenglish/2010/
March/20100316154329fsyelkaew0.8109356.html.
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Jacob Kuhn
[2] (2012) "NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers."
NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers. (Online Article)
http://www.nspe.org/Ethics/CodeofEthics/index.html
transportation-solutions/advanced-vehicletechnologies/fuel-cell-cars/fuel-cell-vehicles.html.
[3] (2012) "Code of Ethics of Engineers." Code of
Ethics.
(Online
Article)
http://sections.asme.org/colorado/ethics.html.
[6] Macnair, Trisha. (2011). "Exhaust Emissions."
BBC
News;
Health.
(Online
Article).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/physical_health/conditio
ns/exhaust_emissions.shtml.
[4] (2010). "The Environmental Impact of Vehicle
Emissions." Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency.
(Online
Lecture
Notes).
http://www.epa.state.il.us/air/vim/guide/air_pollution.
html.
[7] Macalister, Terry (2009). "Are We Running out
of Oil? The World in Energy Statistics." The
Guardian.
(Online
article).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/datablog/200
9/nov/10/energy-statistics-oil-coal.
[5] (2010). "Fuel Cell Vehicles." Citizens and
Scientists for Environmental Solutions; Union of
Concerned
Scientists.
(Online
Blog).
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/smart-
[8] Colby, Anne, and William M. Sullivan. (2008)
"Ethics Teaching in Undergraduate Engineering
Education." Journal of Engineering Education.
http://www.jee.org/2008/july/10.pdf.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my roommate, Mr. Alexandru
Pascal, for his support and assistance with this
assignment.
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