2023-07-25 04:05:00
Our discovery begins at the foot of a wind turbine located in Bouin, in Vendée. This is where it all starts for the hydrogen that powers the BMW with which we have traveled so far.
Before understanding how you can make clean fuel with a wind turbine, a little reminder is in order. Indeed, there are “several colors” of hydrogen today.
Gray hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels (mainly natural gas and coal) and therefore a strong carbon emitter.
Blue hydrogen is also produced from fossil fuels, but combined with a carbon capture and storage process. Green hydrogen is made from water and renewable electricity via an electrolysis process that does not emit CO2.
What is hydrogen?
We often talk about it without necessarily knowing exactly what it is about. What is Hydrogen? Quite simply, a gas that does not emit CO2 when used.
One of its many arguments used by players in the sector to seduce industry, communities or even the world of transport. “Indeed, during its use, it emits neither pollutants nor greenhouse gases.
Its combustion produces only water. This is also why it is called hydrogen (hydro = water / gene = product).” explains the manager of the Lhyfe company, who offers us to trace the hydrogen sector present at the La Roche sur Yon station.
Everything starts from the wind turbine
Today, 95% of hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels or “hydrocarbons” (oil, natural gas and coal). This process is very emissive of CO2 (for 1 kg of hydrogen produced, up to 11 kg of CO2 emitted).
“The green alternative, proposed by the company Lhyfe, consists of passing an electric current through the water to break down the H2O water molecule into Oxygen (O²) on one side, and Hydrogen (H²) on the other. Depending on how your plant is powered, this technique emits more or less CO2. Here the electricity comes from the wind turbine located a few tens of meters away”, explains the manager of Lhyfe. To produce its renewable green hydrogen, Lhyfe therefore uses two natural resources: water and renewable electricity.
A factory at the foot of the wind turbine
Lhyfe’s hydrogen is produced and stored at high pressure before being transported as close as possible to the stations. Or rather from the station located in La Roche sur Yon. According to Lhyfe, the plant produces and delivers 300 kilos of hydrogen per day, to supply the multi-energy station at La Roche-sur-Yon (85), the first green and local multi-energy station in France.
Hydrogen also powers a fleet of 98 hydrogen forklifts at Lidl’s logistics platform in Carquefou (44). The hydrogen produced is stored in cylinders.
These cylinders are stored in large containers, which await, outside the factory, the heavy goods vehicles which will deliver them to the service station. According to plant officials, 300 kilos of hydrogen leave the plant every day.
In fact, impossible to verify. Despite several hours on site, no truck in sight in the factory yard.
An embryonic market
It’s at the wheel of a BMW iX5 hydrogen that we leave this factory in Vendée to go to the resort of La Roche sur Yon after a day of testing. This BMW is not marketed, it is a prototype.
We must admit that the number of hydrogen vehicles available on the market left us with little choice. Only Toyota and Hyundai today offer such a vehicle in their range. Stellantis, Renault, Mercedes-Benz or even Volvo have definitively given up on this technology.
BMW wants to believe it
At BMW we want to believe in it and it is not new. 25 years ago the brand was already running a 7 Series which consumed hydrogen in liquid form to power its V12 engine.
But the loss of power, the evaporation of hydrogen and many other problems made the manufacturer give up liquid hydrogen. AT
hen getting behind the wheel of this iX5 hydrogen, it is clear that there is no discernible difference with a conventional battery-powered electric car. The BMW iX5 offers all the qualities of an SUV from the brand, namely comfort, exemplary finish and dynamism.
While providing a smooth, quiet and smooth ride. With a full tank of hydrogen, the hydrogen-powered ix5 can hope to cover around 500 km in the WLTP cycle.
The announced consumption of 1.19 kg/100 km preventing the SUV from exceeding its electric equivalent displaying 130 km of additional announced autonomy. So what is the point of running on hydrogen? Full !
5 minutes to refuel
Arriving at La Roche-sur-Yon station, first observation: the prices are not indicated and access to the station is reserved for subscribers.
We park the vehicle as in any gas station and pass our badge. After connecting the connector to the car, a hydrogen hose halfway between the gas nozzle and the charging cable, we press the green start button.
Promise kept, filling up our big SUV will only take five minutes. A big advantage compared to the charging time of an equivalent battery vehicle. It now takes 40 minutes to charge an equivalent electric vehicle at a fast terminal.
Yes, but…
As we have seen, we can now produce green hydrogen in France. You can also drive a hydrogen BMW in complete safety and without any particular constraint (except the price if this prototype were to be marketed today).
You can also fill up at one of the very few stations, in five minutes. On paper, hydrogen therefore seems to be a perfect solution for the mobility of tomorrow.
Going back to the origin of the hydrogen present in our BMW, we can’t help but ask a question: wouldn’t it be easier to plug in, with an electric car directly at the foot of the wind turbine?
The time to fill up, five minutes, plays for the moment in favor of hydrogen. But what will happen tomorrow with the progress of batteries and the announced arrival of solid-state batteries?
We all have a power outlet at home, this is not the case with hydrogen stations. In the meantime, green hydrogen exists, it is produced in France and BMW hopes to offer a hydrogen-powered car within two years.
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