Will the methanol fuel cell vehicle (pictured above) kill the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle? In September 2015, the first methanol (wood alcohol) fueling station was opened in Europe. The station is located in Aalborg, Denmark.
Some of the advantages of methanol fuel cell vehicles are:
- Methanol is a liquid and can be easily transported
- Methanol can be produced from local, renewable resources
- Methanol can be produced cheaper than gasoline
- Methanol fuel cell vehicles can have a range of around 500 miles
- Methanol fueling pumps can be easily integrated into existing gasoline stations
- To the consumer, refueling with methanol is very similar to gasoline
On the downside, methanol fuel cell cars are not zero emission vehicles as some CO2 is emitted during operation.
So, will methanol FCEV’s dominate the future landscape of transportation?
According to Jørgen Wisborg, Managing Director at OK, “This hybrid solution is our way of including the electrical car into the transport sector, and we believe that this is one of many ways. We do not want to single out one final winner among the future’s energy technologies for the transport sector, on the contrary we believe that we are going to see more than one technology.”
This is my belief, too. The future won’t be hydrogen cars or battery electric cars or methanol FCEVs. The future will be hydrogen cars AND battery electric vehicles AND methanol FCEVs plus a handful of other alternative fuel vehicles. What is for certain is that we need to #keepitintheground in regard to fossil fuels.
References
http://serenergy.com/video-europes-first-methanol-filling-station/
http://www.methanol.org/energy/fuel-cells.aspx
I believe that methanol fuel cells could be a great solution for lawnmowers, snowblowers, golf carts, and other devices that wouldn’t regularly travel to a hydrogen fueling station.
The issue with methanol is that it is highly toxic and soluble in water, so a major spill could quickly contaminate a reservoir or aquifer, so replacing the entire gasoline infrastructure with methanol is hazardous to the environment.
http://biodiesel.org/docs/ffs-methanol/faq-about-the-safe-handling-and-use-of-methanol.pdf?sfvrsn=6
Hi Dave, thanks for the link and the reminder that methanol is indeed a hazardous material and needs to be handled with great care.
For releases into soil, surface water or groundwater, methanol has a half-life of just one
to seven days, and given its high rate of biodegradation, methanol spills are not likely to
persist. Methanol is used extensively in the nation’s wastewater treatment facilities to
reverse the damaging effects of nitrate buildup in sensitive aquifers and waterways by
accelerating biodegradation. As a flammable and toxic chemical, caution must be
exercised to avoid contact with methanol.