The Road to Liquid Hydrogen Electric Vehicle Powered by High-Temperature Superconducting Motor: Utilizing Tank Trucks to Deliver LH_2

摘要

The 21st century is "the era of energy, resource and environment." In the near future, an increasing population and advanced civilization will urge us to rely on solar-originated new energy sources. More specifically, hydrogen (H_2) energy generated by solar cell power will assume an important role to power vehicles, the most convenient products of modern civilization. The H_2 energy will be delivered in liquid form by tank trucks to H_2 stations, where the liquid hydrogen (LH_2) will be supplied to every automobile.rnMeanwhile, high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials and technologies have markedly developed. By utilizing such application technologies as Sumitomo Electric's cutting-edge BSCCO, an ideal hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) will be practical. LH_2, which produces 20 K cool energy, can act as a coolant itself for an HTS motor and therefore, a cooling device will not need to be mounted any more.rnThus, LH_2 holds high potential for realization of an energy-efficient environmental-friendly compact HEV, and therefore LH_2, besides high-pressure H2 gas, should be included within the development policies for the HEV.