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Q37 (IAS/2024) Science & Technology › New Materials, Energy & Environment-linked Tech › Hydrogen energy technologies Official Key

Which one of the following is the exhaust pipe emission from Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, powered by hydrogen ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: D
Explanation

Fuel-cell-powered vehicles have very high energy conversion efficiency, and near-zero pollution, with CO₂ and water vapor being the only emissions.[1] More specifically, fuel cell vehicles produce no harmful tailpipe emissions—they only emit water [2]vapor and warm air. Emissions from a fuel cell electric vehicle on pure hydrogen are limited to only[3] water. In a hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen reacts with oxygen from the air in an electrochemical process that generates electricity to power the vehicle's motor. The only byproduct of this reaction is water, which is released as water vapor through the exhaust. This makes hydrogen fuel cell vehicles an environmentally friendly transportation option with zero harmful emissions at the point of use. Options A (hydrogen peroxide), B (hydronium), and C (oxygen) are not emitted from fuel cell vehicles.

Sources
  1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > Fuel cells for automobile transport > p. 296
  2. [2] https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/fuel-cell
  3. [3] https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2004/03/can-cars-come-clean_g1gh419d/9789264104976-en.pdf
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Q. Which one of the following is the exhaust pipe emission from Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles, powered by hydrogen ? [A] Hydrogen peroxide […
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 7.5/10 · 2.5/10
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This is a classic 'Sitter' that rewards reading standard static material (Shankar IAS) over chasing obscure current affairs. The question tests the fundamental chemical equation of a fuel cell ($2H_2 + O_2 \rightarrow 2H_2O$). If you know the input, the output is obvious.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Are hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) emitted from the exhaust of hydrogen-powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs)?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 22: Renewable Energy > Fuel cells for automobile transport > p. 296
Presence: 5/5
“0 Compared to vehicles powered by the internal combustion engine, fuel-cell-powered vehicles have very high energy conversion efficiency, and near-zero pollution, CO extsubscript{2} and water vapor being the only emissions. Fuel-cell-powered EV's (electric vehicles) score over battery-operated EV's in terms of increased efficiency and easier and faster refueling. In India, diesel-run buses are a major means of transport and these emit significant quantities of SPM and SOz. Thus, fuel-cell-powered buses and electric vehicles could be introduced with relative ease to dramatically reduce urban air pollution and to make a positive impact on urban air quality.”
Why this source?
  • Explicitly describes fuel-cell-powered vehicles as having near-zero pollution, listing CO2 and water vapor as the only emissions.
  • By naming only CO2 and water vapour as exhaust products, it implies other reactive species (for example H2O2) are not emitted from the fuel-cell exhaust.
  • Directly compares fuel-cell vehicles to internal combustion engines to highlight absence of typical combustion pollutants.
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