Fuel cell vehicles might just be a solution to various environmental issues, including climate change, as they can help reduce fine dust without even trying, a study by a local automaker showed Friday.
According to local industry leader Hyundai Motor Co., a fuel cell electric vehicle can collect up to 20 milligrams of fine dust for every kilometer it travels.
An FCEV is a type of hybrid vehicle that uses a fuel cell and a battery to power an electric motor instead of an engine. Because its fuel cell requires oxygen, the car purifies air for oxygen and thus gathers fine dust in the process.
Considering that a diesel passenger car produces 10 milligrams of fine dust for every kilometer traveled, each FCEV can help purify air polluted by two diesel vehicles, the automaker claimed.
The study apparently shows that though both electric vehicles and fuel cell cars emit no greenhouse gases, fuel cell cars could be a better option as they could also help get rid of fine dust, which has become a serious health hazard globally.
For example, the automaker said replacing all local buses that use liquefied natural gas with fuel cell electric buses can help reduce fine dust created by 1.53 million diesel cars, while it will also help cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2.1 million tons a year, it said.
"Because FCEVs have far better performances and are more environmentally friendly than not only cars with internal combustion engines but also other environmentally friendly cars, they will become the key to environmentally friendly cars in the future," a company official said.
Hyundai currently produces the only FCEV in South Korea, the Hyundai Tucson FCEV. (Yonhap)
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