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INTROUCTION
The world today consumes a
large amount of energy. Most of the energy requirements are fulfilled using conventional
sources of energy. Of this energy consumed, a large part is utilized by the automotive
sector. If the people continue using the conventional sources of energy at this
rate, the earth will be facing an energy crisis very soon. The introduction of
an efficient electric vehicle can greatly improve the conditions of today by helping
curb the use of traditional fuels. The
Hy-Wire, discussed in this paper, runs on the electricity generated by a hydrogen
fuel cell, more accurately called the 'Proton Exchange Membrane' fuel cell. This
fuel cell uses hydrogen as a source of fuel. The fuel cell produces dc voltage,
which is converted to ac voltage and used to run an ac motor. The
by-wire concept removes the mechanical linkages and replaces all of them by wires
and electromechanical actuators. This makes the whole vehicle lighter and more
spacious. In the Hy-Wire vehicle, the whole system has been modeled into an 11-inch
thick chassis. This chassis houses all the electrical components and mechanical
components of the vehicle. This lets us make the body in a customized version
and also lets us change the chassis architecture with radical new designs. The
by-wire system is made practical by the higher voltages inherent in a fuel cell
system. The 42-V technology is made use of in this vehicle. It is said to be a
luxury car in the sense that it provides the space and visibility that a luxury
car does. Hydrogen
Fuel Cells A
fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. A fuel cell converts
the hydrogen and oxygen into water and in the process produces electricity. Such
fuel cells, which use hydrogen as a source of fuel, are called hydrogen fuel cells.
The other electrochemical device that we are all familiar with is the battery.
A battery has all of its chemicals stored inside, and it converts those chemicals
into electricity too. This means that a battery eventually goes dead and you either
throw it away or recharge it. With a fuel cell, chemicals constantly flow into
the cell so it never goes dead - as long as there is a flow of chemicals into
the cell, the electricity flows out of the cell. Sir
William Grove invented the first fuel cell in 1839. He used dilute sulphuric acid
as electrolyte, oxygen as the oxidizing agent and hydrogen as fuel. In 1959, Francis
T Bacon came up with an alkaline fuel cell, but it could produce only 5-kilowatt
power. A fuel
cell produces dc voltage that can be used for various needs. The fuel cells are
classified into various types depending upon the electrolyte they use. They are
classified as follows: -
a) Direct method fuel cells
b) Solid oxide fuel
cells
c) Phosphoric acid fuel cells
d) Alkaline fuel cells
e) Molten
carbonate fuel cells
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