Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles for a Sustainable Future
At Ballard, we deliver fuel cell power for a sustainable planet. Whether you are operating transit buses, trucks, forklifts in a warehouse, regional trains or ferries, Ballard is committed to powering vehicles that help you serve your customers without harming the environment. As we move together towards a zero-emission mobility future, let’s ensure sustainability across the entire lifecycle of the products we create and use. Our future generations will thank us.
Sustainability of zero-emission powertrains
To achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets, the transportation sector must drastically cut emissions caused by the use of fossil fuels. The electrification of transportation is the future, with both battery and hydrogen fuel cell powered electric vehicles generating zero-emissions at the tailpipe. But the question remains – what is the carbon footprint of alternative powertrain options over the complete product lifecycle?
RAW MATERIALS
PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
RECYCLING
MANUFACTURING
PRODUCT USE
There are four stages of the product lifecycle to consider:
Raw Materials
Manufacturing
With the growth in demand for electric vehicles, there is increased focus on the source of raw materials. Traceability and transparency of raw material supply chains are key, as is the focus on the reduction in the volume of critical raw materials needed. The most important raw materials for batteries used in battery electric vehicles are lithium and cobalt. Today, a battery electric passenger vehicle contains approximately 5 kilograms of each. 1 There are significant environmental and societal concerns related to the production of lithium and cobalt for electric vehicle batteries. The amount platinum catalyst used in a fuel cell electric vehicle is just 10 to 20 grams. 2 There has already been a 70% percent reduction in platinum used in fuel cell vehicles and that is expected to be reduced further. 3 In comparison, the supply chain for platinum catalyst used in PEM fuel cells is well established, as it is a material used in the catalytic converters of diesel vehicles today. The recovery process for this precious metal is in place, with approximately 95% of the platinum reclaimed at the end of life of a fuel cell.
Sustainable manufacturing is the creation of manufactured products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environmental impacts while conserving energy and natural resources. 4 Sustainable manufacturing also enhances employee, community and product safety. For the past several years Ballard has been actively pursuing sustainability efforts that reduce our carbon footprint in product development, testing and manufacturing facilities co-located with our corporate headquarters. Our sustainability activities have, to this point, been primarily in two areas – energy management and recycling. An audit of Ballard’s carbon footprint completed in 2019 will allow us to measure important progress going forward.
1 World Electric Vehicle Journal 2 Deloitte China 3 Reuters 4 United States Environmental Protection Agency
Product Use
Disposal
Once the product has reached the end of its useful life, consideration must be taken on how to dispose of the product.
For both battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles, which are zero-emissions at the tailpipe, the well-to-wheel aspect of lifecycle emissions accounts for 56-64%. 5 So reducing the amount of CO 2 emissions due to fuel use is the area with the largest GHG mitigation potential. For battery electric vehicles, electricity comes from the power grid. Grid electricity generated by burning coal or natural gas is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen, the fuel source for fuel cell electric vehicles, can be generated sustainably using electrolyzers. Centralized hydrogen production from renewable electricity is one of the paths to source cost-effective green hydrogen at scale, and accelerate the decarbonization of transportation.
Whereas lithium batteries are said to be 95% recyclable, the practice of recycling them is not well developed at this time and most end up in landfills. 6 In comparison, Ballard’s expertise in refurbishing, reusing, and reclaiming fuel cell components means our solution is both zero-emission and low waste. Ballard’s ability to reclaim 95% of the fuel cell stack means far fewer waste products end up in landfills. Every year we recycle and refurbish thousands of fuel cell stacks.
5 Global EV Outlook 2019 6 Engineering.com
At Ballard Ballard has adopted a 3R framework to ensure sustainability is considered over the entire lifecycle of our products.
> 95%
RE USE RE DUCE RE CYCLE
PRECIOUS METALS ARE RECLAIMED DURING RECYCLING
Ballard’s proton exchange membrane fuel cells are:
• Made from ethically sourced materials • Made without any hazardous, banned or toxic substances
• Manufactured in a sustainable manner, including factors such as energy efficiency and ethical labor • Packaged using environmentally friendly packaging materials and as minimally as possible • Made to have a long lifetime – our current generation products exceed 30,000 hours of operation • Refurbished and recycled at the end of life – to recover highly valuable precious metals and minimize waste entering the landfill
THOUSANDS OF FUEL CELL STACKS ARE REFURBISHED EVERY YEAR
30%
Fuel cell stack refurbishment
Ballard offers its customers a refurbishment program for fuel cell stacks that have reached the end of life. The customer returns the fuel cell stack to Ballard where we replace the MEA while reusing the existing hardware and plates. The used MEA is then sent to a 3rd-party for recovery of the platinum and other precious metals.
COST SAVINGS FOR THE CUSTOMERS AS A RESULT OF REFURBISHING
Mission Zero Carbon Program
Understanding, reducing, and offsetting Ballard’s greenhouse gas emissions is essential to doing our part for the environment. To that end, Ballard has undertaken a corporate emissions inventory (to evaluate our annual carbon footprint) and a lifecycle inventory of our product lines (to measure emissions at each stage of the products’ lifecycle). The report will provide us with a baseline to understand our climate impact and identify opportunities to reduce emissions, in adherence to The Greenhouse Gas Protocol, Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard published by the World Resources Institute and the WBCSD.
Hydrogen
1
H HYDROGEN
Hydrogen, the most abundant element in the universe, is now being called the super fuel of the future. Clean hydrogen production will play a major role in the complete decarbonization of transportation from well-to-wheel.
Hydrogen is:
• Not a toxic gas • Not a polluting gas • Has no known toxicological effect (non-carcinogenic, non-teratogenic)
There are multiple routes to create hydrogen. The source of energy used and the method define whether it is considered grey, blue or green.
BLUE HYDROGEN
GREEN HYDROGEN
NATURAL GAS
RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY
ELECTROLYSIS
STEAM REFORMING
CO 2 MANAGEMENT
TRANSPORT & STORAGE
LIQUEFACTION & EXPORT
TRANSPORTATION
INDUSTRAL CHEMICALS
POWER GENERATION & STORAGE
Grey Hydrogen
Both green and blue hydrogen can achieve environmental goals. Today, blue hydrogen can provide industrial-scale volumes of carbon-neutral hydrogen, while green hydrogen will increase deployment of renewable power generation. 7 Centralized hydrogen production from renewable electricity is one of the paths to source cost- effective green hydrogen at scale. Future energy systems will likely be challenged by large quantities of stranded renewable electricity that cannot be used in the conventional electrical grid. Using this surplus electricity for electrolysis will produce low cost green hydrogen for a variety of uses, including as transportation fuel.
Currently, 95% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels, emitting some CO 2 . Blue Hydrogen Grey hydrogen whose CO 2 emitted during production is sequestered via carbon capture and storage (CCS).
Green Hydrogen
Low or zero-emission hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water using renewable energy sources.
7 International Flame Research Foundation
The Future of Hydrogen Seizing today’s opportunities
Report prepared by the IEA for the G20, Japan Executive summary and recommendations
J u n e 2 0 1 9
Interested in reading more on this topic?
Download ‘The Future of Hydrogen’
Published by the International Energy Agency, this study provides an extensive and independent assessment of the ways in which hydrogen can help to achieve a clean, secure and affordable energy future. As a roadmap for the future, the study identifies the most promising immediate opportunities to enable clean hydrogen to fulfill its long-term potential: • Make the most of existing industrial ports to turn them into hubs for lower-cost, lower-carbon hydrogen. • Use existing gas infrastructure to spur new clean hydrogen supplies. • Support transport fleets, freight and corridors to make fuel-cell vehicles more competitive. • Establish the first shipping routes to kick-start the international hydrogen trade.
Ballard Power Systems Inc. 9000 Glenlyon Parkway Burnaby, BC V5J 5J8 Canada (P) +1-604-454-0900
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