The Viability of Ammonia in the Automotive Sector: Challenges and Opportunities

Ammonia has emerged as a promising alternative fuel for transportation because of its high energy density (NH₃ has more hydrogen than propane in a similar size tank), simple and carbon-free combustion, and potential to produce sustainably. This paper investigates the feasibility of using ammonia as fuel for internal combustion engines (ICE) and fuel cells in automotive applications. In many ways, ammonia captures these benefits by being produced from renewable energies and having the potential to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. There are significant drawbacks of ammonia however, such as its decreased energy content per unit volume, NOx emissions potential, and necessary engine adaptations. This paper discusses the combustion characteristics of ammonia and how it functions in typical ICE's as well as new fuel cell technology, and the necessary infrastructure to produce, store, and distribute ammonia for automotive applications. The study compares operations to conventional fuels through experimental testing and comparison and quantifies the environmental impact, efficiency, and overall feasibility of ammonia as a fuel for transportation through through quantitative experimental analysis. The study concludes by illustrating the necessary role ammonia can play in a sustainable transportation future and how current limitations can be addressed.