Seminar: Advanced Materials for Next Generation Fuel Cell Vehicles

Yu Seung Kim, PhD, Los Alamos National Laboratory

All dates for this event occur in the past.

Scott Laboratory
Scott Laboratory
Room E525
201 W 19th Ave
Columbus, OH 43210
United States

Abstract

In battery-powered electric vehicles, the motor is powered by electricity stored in a large traction battery pack. The benefits of the battery-powered car include a zippy ride, thanks to the high torque offered by the EVs; lower operating costs as electricity tends to be cheaper than gasoline; zero exhaust emissions; and a smooth, almost silent ride. Drawbacks include a relatively short range of about 90-200 miles per charge, which means they’re great for driving locally, but not as great for cross country trips where charging stations may be few and far between, and a lengthy recharge period of 4-20 hours, a bit longer than the traditional gas station fill-up. Besides, lithium-ion battery packs with enough juice to push a 3500 pound car down the road can weigh over 600 pounds, making them impractical for larger SUVs and pickup trucks. Fuel-cell cars are powered a bit differently and have their own, unique benefits and challenges. In fuel-cell vehicle engines, hydrogen and oxygen combine to create an electrochemical reaction and produce electricity to power the vehicle. The driver pulls up to a hydrogen fueling station, pumps their “gas,” and heads on down the road. There are several benefits of moving towards fuel-cell technology for vehicles, including more extended driving range per fill, and the availability of hydrogen from renewable energy sources. In this presentation the speaker will talk about the challenges and opportunity of fuel cell technology for transportation applications and the directions of material development for next-generation fuel cell vehicles.

 

About the speaker

Yu Seung Kim is a staff scientist at Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He received his PhD from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (1999). After three years of post-doctoral training at Virginia Tech, he joined LANL fuel cell team (2003). Kim presently leads several fuel cell projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. His research focuses on the fundamental and applied science of fuel cells. He has closely worked with major automotive companies including General Motors, Nissan Motors, Toyota and Hyundai Motors. He is the three-time awardee of LANL Outstanding Innovation Technology Transfer Awards (2009, 2012 and 2013). He received special recognition by U.S. DOE Assistant Secretary David Danielson for his tech to market transfer efforts (2014). He received Outstanding Technical Achievement Award from US DOE Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Program (2016).

 

Hosted by Prof. Jung Hyun Kim.