My PhD project is investigates the safety issues related to hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the context of human factors. It will look at how safety concerns could be overcome through effective design of the car itself, establishing requirements for structures intended for storage, and best practice for refuelling and the repair of these vehicles. The ultimate goal is to understand the potential impacts of HFCV usage on the future transport system, from a human factor perspective.
The main challenge that we are facing right now is differences between the Engineers, Public and Policymakers understanding and view of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle. On one side, the technology developers believe most of the concerns have been solved technically already. On the other side, the Public would like to think of how much we will trust these new technologies.