Effects of wind‐powered hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on stratospheric ozone and global climate

Converting the world's fossil‐fuel onroad vehicles (FFOV) to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCV), where the H 2 is produced by wind‐powered electrolysis, is estimated to reduce global fossil, biofuel, and biomass‐burning emissions of CO 2 by ∼13.4%, NO x ∼23.0%, nonmethane organic gases ∼18.9%, black carbon ∼8% H 2 ∼3.2% (at 3% leakage), and H 2 O ∼0.2%. Over 10 years, such reductions were calculated to reduce tropospheric CO ∼5%, NO x ∼5–13%, most organic gases ∼3–15%, OH ∼4%, ozone ∼6%, and PAN ∼13%, but to increase tropospheric CH 4 ∼0.25% due to the lower OH. Lower OH also increased upper tropospheric/lower stratospheric ozone, increasing its global column by ∼0.41%. WHFCV cooled the troposphere and warmed the stratosphere, reduced aerosol and cloud surface areas, and increased precipitation. Other renewable‐powered HFCV or battery electric vehicles should have similar impacts.