Scientists are developing new technology that could transform the electric car sector, enabling ethanol-powered vehicles with greater range and reduced emissions.
In an article published earlier this month in Journal of Energy Chemistry , researchers from the Center for Innovation in New Energies (CINE) and collaborators warn about the advantages and challenges of a new technology that could bring an ethanol-powered electric car. The fuel cell technology that will bring an ethanol-powered electric car is MS-SOFCs (metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells).
New technology for electric cars could contribute to sustainability
According to the study's authors, the new technology, which has attracted attention in industry and academia over the past 20 years, could contribute to the energy transition in the automotive sector, especially in countries such as Brazil, the United States, Thailand and India, which have extensive production and sale of biofuels.
According to Gustavo Doubek, a professor at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp) and a member of CINE, an Engineering Research Center (CPE) supported by FAPESP and Shell, the study on the new technology for electric cars highlights that MS-SOFCs represent a promising solution for reducing pollutant gas emissions in mobility, and could be an essential alternative for the arrival of an ethanol-powered electric car.
The cells combine high efficiency, durability and fuel flexibility, in addition to reducing the current limitations of electric vehicle batteries, generating a viable path for the energy transition of the automotive sector, without the high costs of hydrogen or the limitations of traditional batteries, which take a long time to charge.
The study on the technology that enables electric cars powered by ethanol is part of a larger effort conducted within the scope of CINE, aligned with the search for innovations focused on the decarbonization of the transport sector, which includes work on new materials and architectures for MS-SOFCs, in addition to research on reformers and biofuels.
Advantages of new technology
According to scientists, when compared to other mobility systems, the new technology for electric cars offers a number of advantages. Compared to conventional ethanol-powered cars, the one with MS-SOFC is more energy efficient.
In other words, the same amount of biofuel It provides more autonomy in an ethanol-powered car with a fuel cell than in one with a combustion engine. In addition, electric cars are quieter, reducing noise pollution, and more comfortable for drivers and passengers.
Compared to battery-powered electric cars, ethanol-powered electric cars stand out for their quicker refueling compared to recharging the battery. Another advantage is that they do not overload the electrical grid.
Furthermore, the new technology is capable of generating energy from bioethanol, biogas, biomethane, green ammonia and even fossil fuels. Therefore, when compared to hydrogen cars, ethanol-powered electric cars are more practical.
Ethanol electric car can bring about positive change in the automotive industry
In an electric car powered by ethanol, the tank is filled with some renewable fuel , such as ethanol, which passes through the reformer, a component responsible for extracting the hydrogen that is present in the composition of the biofuel.
The hydrogen, in turn, passes through the fuel cell, where it is oxidized and, together with the oxygen in the air that is reduced, generates the electrons needed to charge the batteries and supercapacitors and power the electric motor.
As waste, the new technology process generates water, heat and some CO2, which is offset by the CO2 that sugarcane consumes in photosynthesis, bringing net carbon emissions to a level close to zero.
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