Ecological and economic conditions for implementing hydrogen fuel

Hydrogenation of the motor transport has become the highest form of broadly understood contemporary electro mobility, with the use of hybrid vehicles through fully electrical vehicles to fuel cell vehicles. This article presents development of hydrogen technology applying fuel cells, in particular in road transport. The emission of greenhouse gases in the production cycles of the said fuel were discussed, depending on the use of various energy carriers in its production. Emphasis was given to the rationale underlying the production of hydrogen for the needs of fuel cells. Furthermore, the advantages were presented of exploiting electrical power for the production of hydrogen with the use of renewable sources of energy. The example of France was used to discuss the advantages of the hydrogen fuel technology for reducing the emission of combustion pollutants, in particular the emission of carbon dioxide. The article also evaluates – on the example of Poland – average unit costs (PLN/km) for using fuel cell vehicles. At present, they will be higher than in case of vehicles with conventional drivers. High cost is one of the causes – apart from limited production of fuel cell vehicles – of slacked development of the hydrogen fuel technology. The article also presents premises for the road transport hydrogenation national plan in Poland.