Viability of Vehicles Utilizing On-Board CO₂ Capture

Abstract

Although battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles hold great promise for mitigating CO₂ emissions, there are still unaddressed sectors for electrified transport, e.g., the heavy-duty and long-range global shipping industry. In this Viewpoint, we examine the viability of CO₂-neutral transportation using hydrocarbon or alcohol fuels, in which the CO₂ product is captured on-board the vehicle. This approach takes advantage of the unparalleled energy density of carbon-based fuels as needed for these energy-intensive applications. Here, a concept is developed considering the power technologies, infrastructure, and fuels required. Storage volume and mass requirements are calculated for a wide range of vehicle types and compared with those for other CO₂-neutral options, namely hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric vehicles, and research and development needs to implement this technology are discussed.