Awesome Opportunity: Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Cars!

Just a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to experience an amazing presentation from Anthony Stianchie about hydrogen fuel-cell cars. Stianchie is a Product Engineer at Air Products who works on hydrogen refueling systems. He came to my class and gave a wonderful presentation, so here are the details!

Firstly, after an introduction, he started the presentation by teaching us all about the element Hydrogen. We learned that hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe! He also told us the history of hydrogen and what it has been used for over the years. He explained how it has been used in rocket fuel and even as a renewable energy source.

Next, he went on to explain the science behind hydrogen fuel-cell cars. He showed us diagrams and gave us examples of how this technology works. I was amazed to learn that these cars can convert water into electricity! He also discussed the fact that burning hydrogen produces only water vapor as a byproduct, which is why it's considered a clean source of energy.

After that, Stianchie discussed the mechanics of hydrogen fuel-cell cars. He explained that these cars work by separating water into oxygen and hydrogen in an electrochemical reaction, producing electricity that powers the car. Alternatively, there also exist hydrogen fueling stations, which aren’t that different from a typical gas station. But what better way to learn about these cool cars than to actually see one in-person?

So, at the end of his presentation, we went outside to see a real hydrogen-powered car he had brought in! We were able to see underneath the hood as well as go inside the vehicle. Outside, he told us more about how the car worked, but wasn’t allowed to take us for a ride for numerous reasons. Nonetheless, it was an amazing experience and really gave us a unique perspective into this new technology. We definitely appreciated his efforts in bringing a real hydrogen powered vehicle to our school!

Stianchie ended his presentation with a Q&A. We learned more about what it would take to make hydrogen the main energy source for not only cars, but other utilities as well! We all asked a lot of questions, and Stianchie answered them all with enthusiasm. He was patient, knowledgeable and informative - it was definitely an amazing experience!

At the end, we gave him a round of applause for his presentation. It was really eye-opening to see how far hydrogen powered technology has come! We learned so much about the potential of hydrogen powered technology and the real-world applications that could come out of it. We’re excited to see what’s next for hydrogen power, and we look forward to seeing Stianchie again soon! Thanks for everything!

Check out Air Products for more cool information at: https://www.airproducts.com/