Cleaning the air and improving health with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles
Abstract
Converting all U.S. onroad vehicles to hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (HFCVs) may improve air quality, health, and climate significantly, whether the hydrogen is produced by steam reforming of natural gas, wind electrolysis, or coal gasification. Most benefits would result from eliminating current vehicle exhaust. Wind and natural gas HFCVs offer the greatest potential health benefits and could save 3700 to 6400 U.S. lives annually. Wind HFCVs should benefit climate most. An all-HFCV fleet would hardly affect tropospheric water vapor concentrations. Conversion to coal HFCVs may improve health but would damage climate more than fossil/electric hybrids. The real cost of hydrogen from wind electrolysis may be below that of U.S. gasoline.
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- Authors
- Jacobson, M. Z., Colella, W. G., & Golden, D. M.
- Affiliations
- Stanford University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Jacobson, M. Z.
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2005-06-24
- Volume
- 308
- Issue
- 5730
- Pages
- 1901-1905
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W1968633605
- Cited by
- 1,023
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 46 · 2023: 67 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 67 · 2020: 79 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 76 · 2017: 63 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 55 · 2014: 34 · 2013: 61 · 2012: 35
- FWCI
- 70.37
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Vehicle emissions and performance
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Electric Vehicles and Infrastructure
- Keywords
- hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, air quality, health benefits, vehicle emissions, climate change impacts, steam reforming of natural gas, coal gasification, hydrogen production cost, tropospheric water vapor, life-saving
- MeSH terms
- Air Pollution, Vehicle Emissions, Climate, Computer Simulation, Costs and Cost Analysis, Energy-Generating Resources, Fossil Fuels, Gasoline, Health, Humans, Hydrogen, Mortality, Smog, Wind, Greenhouse Effect, Motor Vehicles
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