Germany has launched the world’s first hydrogen powered commuter train (hydrail) recently. It works with the hydrogen fuel cells of the train that can combine hydrogen with oxygen, emitting water and steam as waste products. The fuel of this train, hydrogen, can be made with renewable electricity as well. Hydrail can hit a top speed of 140 km/hr and can run for 1000 km with one single charge. It is also cheaper to run when compared with a traditional diesel train.
However, critics argue that the current way of producing the raw material of the hydrail, hydrogen, is produced from methane reforming in which carbon dioxide is produced as a by-product. Besides, there is a potential and inevitable risk that hydrogen is highly flammable hence storage and shipping need extra care.
The hydrail is undoubtedly a revolutionary mode of green transport. To further promote this transport, it still takes comprehensive hardware and software development.
Source: