Automotive Exports March 2021
Automotive Exports March 2021
Automotive Exports March 2021
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German researchers develop hydrogen<br />
paste that could fuel vehicles<br />
A team of researchers at the Germanybased<br />
institute developed a hydrogen<br />
paste, which bears a passing resemblance<br />
to toothpaste and could one day be used to<br />
fuel vehicles.<br />
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute of<br />
Manufacturing Technology and Advanced<br />
Materials (IFAM), led by Marcus Vogt,<br />
named their product, which could be<br />
revolutionary in the transport sector,<br />
“Powerpaste.”<br />
The paste’s main ingredient is magnesium<br />
hydride, a compound that, when<br />
introduced to water, reacts with it to form<br />
hydrogen and magnesium hydroxide. It<br />
would be stored in vehicles in the form of a<br />
cartridge and to refuel, a driver would swap<br />
a used hydrogen cartridge with a new one<br />
and then fill the tank with water.<br />
According to researchers, the paste offers<br />
a safe, convenient and affordable hydrogen<br />
fuel option for small vehicles such as<br />
scooters, or in flying drones where weight<br />
is at a premium.<br />
The paste has a huge energy storage<br />
density, Vogt said adding that it has a<br />
storage of more energy per liter, and per<br />
kilogram, than either batteries or petrol<br />
can manage. Moreover, unlike a battery,<br />
the paste does not gradually lose its stored<br />
energy if it is left on the shelf.<br />
In a bid to fight climate change and global<br />
warming in recent years, many companies<br />
and countries have been shifting attention<br />
to hydrogen-based energy solutions.<br />
Last year, in a move to diversify cleaner<br />
energy resources and reduce carbon<br />
emissions, Turkey has launched an initiative<br />
to exploit hydrogen as a fuel in various<br />
sectors, making it available to the market<br />
by the end of <strong>2021</strong>.<br />
In an attempt to decrease the usage of<br />
oil, natural gas and other fuels that have<br />
a negative impact on the environment<br />
and climate, Turkey has boosted efforts<br />
to add clean sources to its energy mix,<br />
which in turn will also help it become less<br />
dependent on imported goods.<br />
Also last year Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury<br />
said that the company is aiming to put the<br />
world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial<br />
plane into service by 2035.<br />
France and other European countries<br />
are investing billions of euros in the<br />
development of green hydrogen, with the<br />
highly polluting transport industry a prime<br />
area for its intended use.<br />
77 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2021</strong>
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