Application of the Fuel Cell Vehicle to Support ICT in Emergency Response

Abstract

Ensuring the telecommunication services is one of the key pillars for the disaster response. However, the past studies pointed out that the lack of electricity causes significant negative effect in the service continuity of telecommunication in emergencies. Using the vehicle to establish a mobile and off-grid telecommunication site is one of the solutions in emergencies. Recently, the vehicle with the external power supply functions becomes popular as the progress of the electric vehicles in our society. Therefore, this study aims to assess the practical effectiveness of the application of the fuel cell vehicle to support the telecommunication services in emergencies. The medical fuel cell vehicle with telecommunication functions and the external power supply functions was developed. In the field test, various functions in the M-FCV such as the external power supply, the real-time image sharing, the vehicle management application were tested to support the telecommunication in emergencies. In addition, in a disaster response drill, the M-FCV was utilized to establish the field telecommunication unit by using its functions. To ensure the electricity to support the telecommunication services in emergencies, the application of fuel cell vehicles is considered as an effective solution.