Viability of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Vehicles with on-Board CO2 Capture

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The viability of CO2-neutral transportation using hydrocarbon or alcohol fuels, in which the CO2 product is captured on-board the vehicle, is examined. Solid oxide fuel cells are proposed for energy conversion because they react fuels with pure oxygen, enabling on-board CO2 capture in a reasonable volume after compression to a moderate pressure of 250 bar; net storage volume is substantially less than of equivalent hydrogen tanks or batteries. During vehicle refueling, captured CO2 can be off-loaded and subsequently used in fuel production with renewable resources, or sequestered, thereby maintaining carbon-neutrality. Alternatively, these Carbon-Capture Fuel Cell Vehicles (CCFCVs) can be part of a CO2-negative pathway by using biofuels and sequestering the captured CO2. Storage volume and weight are analyzed for a range of vehicle types, comparing the proposed transportation platform with those of internal combustion, Li-ion battery, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (H2FCV); the results suggest that this is the best available option for long-range vehicles. The well-to-wheels efficiencies for fossil fuels and biomass-to-wheels efficiencies for biofuels are estimated using literature data. The results indicate that the CCFCV can yield efficiencies of ~ 40%, nearly twice that of the H2FCV, ~22%.