物流Business News

A revolutionary Czech patent was found to drastically lower the price of hydrogen cars, as the expensive platinum is ten times less needed.

Platinum, a critical metal yet not abundant in the European Union, is needed in each fuel cell for hydrogen cars. Currently, one fuel cell for a hydrogen car uses approximately 20 to 30 grams of platinum. Thanks to the Czech patent of Professor Vladimír Matolín from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague, a major breakthrough in the development of catalysts for hydrogen fuel cells has now been achieved. The newly found Czech technology, however, reduces the required amount by up to tenfold.

The scientists designed, developed, successfully built and patented an innovative catalyst for fuel cells that needs much less platinum on the anode and also less platinum on the cathode.

"A reduction in platinum content is ideally 90 percent, say tenfold. In a real system, the reduction will be fivefold, depending on the operating conditions and the planned lifetime... If I am an optimist, we will reduce the content of platinum five to ten times," said Matolín.

Charles University, which is the owner of the patent, recently concluded a contract with a renowned German company, which will continue the project. However, the German company is not named.

Hydrogen is one of the emission-free fuels. As the European Union wants to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990, hydogen-powered transportation is catching the public attention. Hydrogen also has great potential in heavy freight transport. It is also believed that hydrogen is cheaper than batteries, "a cheaper and better solution for the future," according to the activists.

Source: https://www.obnovitelne.cz/clanek/3035/revolucni-cesky-patent-razantne-zlevnuje-vodikova-auta-drahe-platiny-je-zapotrebi-desetkrat-mene