The driving power of the electron

Abstract

Almost two centuries after Carnot’s 1824 Réflexions sur la puissance motrice du feu (Paris: Bachelier Libraire), electricity stored in Li-ion batteries or made available by hydrogen fuel cells onboard, is becoming the energy form powering the mobility of vehicles, including: cars, buses, trucks, boats and ships. The conflicting dynamics of global wealth, energy and population requires the replacement of fossil fuels with truly renewable energy sources (sun, water and wind). This also implies the replacement of the ubiquitous internal combustion engine with the much more efficient electric motor powered by renewable electricity. Will the availability of lithium or cobalt intrinsically limit lithium battery manufacturing rapidly driving up battery production costs? Can we expect hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to become widely adopted as it is currently taking place with battery electric vehicles? Referring to recent research and industrial achievements, this study offers an answer to these and related questions.