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The issue of fuel choice impacts both fuel cell vehicle design and infrastructure development. In general, there is a trade-off between simpler vehicle design (hydrogen vehicles are inherently simpler than those with onboard fuel processors) and simpler infrastructure issues (liquid fuels such as gasoline or methanol are easier to store and handle, and are more compatible with the existing refueling infrastructure). In this article we compare fuel cell vehicle characteristics and infrastructure requirements for four possible fuel option compressed hydrogen gas, methanol, gasoline and synthetic liquids derived from natural gas. The advantages and disadvantages of various fuels are discussed, and possible fuel strategies leading towards the commercialisation of fuel cell vehicles are explored.
Ogden et al. (Sat,) studied this question.