NEW ENERGY SOLUTIONS FOR THE TRANSPORTATION INDUSTRY

The automobile industry in general and internal combustion engine cars in particular have a history of development of more than 100 years and have reached perfection in operation and optimization in fuel supply and use. However, in a context where the environment is increasingly threatened and the burden is placed on fossil energy sources that are gradually depleting, humanity is forced to find a new direction, a new solution to replace fossil energy sources. Traditional materials must be guaranteed to have large reserves and be environmentally friendly. Accordingly, the state of California – USA, China and EU member states have issued a ban on gasoline-powered cars from 2035. So, are electric cars the inevitable direction in the future? !!
Operating an electric car shows many advantages compared to a traditional gasoline car such as: smooth engine, high efficiency, no greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to environmental protection… However, Is electric energy really a clean energy source?!!
1. Problems with electric vehicles
According to Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), in the first 8 months of 2023, the mobilization rate of various types of power sources is as follows: Hydropower 48.45 billion kWh, accounting for 26%; Coal thermal power 88.08 billion kWh, accounting for 47.3%; gas turbines 19.26 billion kWh, accounting for 10.3%; Oil thermal power 1.23 billion kWh, accounting for 0.7%; renewable energy 26.35 billion kWh, accounting for 14.1%; Imported electricity is 2.62 billion kWh, accounting for 1.4%. This figure shows that the national electric energy contributed by fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) accounts for nearly 60%, this electricity production process also contributes a large part to carbon dioxide emissions – Factors that cause the greenhouse effect affect global warming . This ratio varies in countries around the world, however, renewable energy sources also increase significant pressure on the environment, which is the source of emissions from the production of solar panels. The sun often changes the air circulation process in wind power production, causing the atmosphere to gradually heat up
Besides, balancing the lithium supply chain is also a difficult problem for electric vehicles. The international energy agency IEA says the world could face a lithium shortage by 2025. And Credit Suisse says demand for lithium could triple between 2020 and 2025. In addition to producing batteries for electric cars, lithium is also used for other industries such as phones, laptops, airplanes, trains… With a supply shortage, the price of this metal will skyrocket, turning the Electric cars will become expensive items only for the upper class in the future.
In the process of developing electric cars, in addition to power supplies with very high prices, manufacturers are also having a headache finding fast charging solutions for electric vehicles, something that makes a large number of users confused. in choosing to use electric cars or traditional gasoline cars.
2. New engine technology.
Unlike Vinfast, which soon discontinued its gasoline-powered car line to focus on its electric car products, Toyota is slower in this matter. Mr. Akio Toyoda – president of the famous car company Toyota believes that hydrogen-powered cars are the future and believes that electric cars are not the only solution to achieve carbon neutrality and protect the environment, meaning It is not necessary to produce electric vehicles. In fact, the decline in market share in the electric vehicle sector and pressure from shareholders forced him to resign in April 2023. This raised public opinion as to whether the big man in the car industry is the same. Will the world follow the younger generation in producing electric vehicles?!!
Recently, Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC) and Toyota announced that they have successfully operated a car engine that uses ammonia and does not emit carbon. At the 2023 annual technology industry showcase, they launched a 2.0-liter engine capable of burning liquid ammonia safely and efficiently. GAC claims a peak power of 120 kW (161 horsepower) and a 90% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional fuel.
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula NH3, colorless, with a pungent odor. It is a stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogenic hydride. Ammonia has the same energy density as oil, it holds 20 times more energy than a lithium-ion battery. When in liquid form at room temperature, it does not require large amounts of electricity for additional cooling like hydrogen (another alternative to fossil fuels, which only becomes liquid at minus 259.2 degrees C). Ammonia is not flammable and does not explode like hydrogen, or gasoline. Ammonia has been produced industrially for a long time with unlimited future production capacity. All of this makes ammonia a potential alternative to fossil fuels.
However, experts still encounter many technical problems regarding the handling and preservation of ammonia due to its toxicity, slow burning properties, or the need for an engine that creates high enough pressure and other solutions to reduce ammonia. Minimize nitrogen emissions into the atmosphere. However, these are still huge and meaningful developments in the search for a new energy source, and create a promising new direction, reducing dependence on the electric vehicle industry that itself it also has a lot of painful problems that need to be solved.