For over 100 years, our transportation network has been fuelled primarily by petroleum, refined into gasoline, diesel and natural gas. The burning of these hydrocarbon fuels causes the emission of greenhouse gases, leading to temperature rise resulting in global warming and climate change, and other pollutants.

In a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, the only emission is water vapour. Hydrogen, however, is only as clean as the source it is derived from. Well-to-wheel (fuel production through end use in a vehicle) studies of various fuel pathways and vehicle types have shown that if hydrogen is produced using natural gas, the well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emission benefits are at least 55% less compared to a gasoline combustion engine and about 40% less than that of gasoline hybrid engine. When hydrogen is produced from renewable resources and used to power a fuel cell vehicle, the entire chain results in the lowest environmental impact of all vehicle types.

For further information:

• National Hydrogen Association – The Energy Evolution
• California Fuel Cell Partnership – Well to Wheels
• Well to Wheels Analysis in the Japanese Context
• Well to Wheel Analysis in the European Context