Fuel cells in a medium-sized city in the year 2020.

Author(s)
Hulten, P. Karlstrom, M. & Bagge, L.
Year
Abstract

History of technology tells us that new technologies not only replace older ones, but that quite new patterns of possibilities may also arise. Fuel cell technology is developing fast and many new concepts for the use of fuel cells must be proposed and analysed, since we are facing enormous challenges when defending liveability and quality of life within available resources. The aim of the present article is to describe a vision of how fuel cell technology used in all the municipal vehicles serving a middle-sized urban center might bring us closer to both urban quality and help to fulfil our commitments regarding the climate. This paper is part I of a double-paper, where part II (named "Preliminary assessment of a fuel cell public transport system for a medium sized city in the year 2020") is presented at the same WIT-conference in Dresden (May, 2004). The basic functions of this new public transport system are presented in part I (this paper), with particular focus on those functional qualities figured in the assessment in part II. The climatic goal for a medium sized city in the year 2020 (in this case: 30 percent less CO2-emissions compared to the level of 1990) may be reached if at least one quarter of the vehicle fleet consists of fuel cell cars or if an advanced system of fuel cell-driven local public transport is installed. A combination would be the very best alternative to prepare the city to face the even tougher climatic goals to come. The city may also substitute its part of the national nuclear power program: if about half of the fuel cell car fleet mentioned above is generating electricity about half of the time the cars are parked. The precondition for local sustainability in this respect is that the initially waste- and bio-based hydrogen production is succeeded by renewable hydrogen production methods, working together. New built up areas may be climatically customised (heated, air conditioned etc.) by heat left over from parked fuel cell cars - while generating electricity - if these buildings are well designed for energy economising and adapted synergy. For the covering abstract see ITRD E128680.

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Publication

Library number
C 36226 (In: C 36168 [electronic version only]) /91 /15 / ITRD E128738
Source

In: Urban Transport X : urban transport and the environment in the 21st century : proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Urban Transport and The Environment in the 21st Century, Dresden, Germany, 2004, p. 593-605, 12 ref.

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This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.