Fuel Cell (2024)

FAQs

Fuel Cell? ›

Fuel cells work like batteries, but they do not run down or need recharging. They produce electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes—a negative electrode (or anode) and a positive electrode (or cathode)—sandwiched around an electrolyte.

Cost of Raw Materials. Precious metals such as platinum and iridium are typically required as catalysts in fuel cells and some types of water electrolyser, which means that the initial cost of fuel cells (and electrolysers) can be high. This high cost has deterred some from investing in hydrogen fuel cell technology.

What is a Fuel Cell? A fuel cell is an electrochemical power generator. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity with water and heat generated as byproducts. Fuel cells, like a battery, create energy via an electrochemical process and not combustion.

Performance. Hydrogen fuel cell cars are quiet, very energy efficient, produce no emissions and have equivalent range and performance to gasoline counterparts. Drivers identify range, refueling time, emissions, power and performance as valuable vehicle characteristics.

Hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) produce no harmful emissions, eliminating the costs associated with handling and storing toxic materials like battery acid or diesel fuel.

Expensive to manufacture due the high cost of catalysts (platinum) Lack of infrastructure to support the distribution of hydrogen. A lot of the currently available fuel cell technology is in the prototype stage and not yet validated. Hydrogen is expensive to produce and not widely available.

Reducing cost and improving durability are the two most significant challenges to fuel cell commercialization. Fuel cell systems must be cost-competitive with, and perform as well or better than, traditional power technologies over the life of the system.

We haven't found a fuel cell that has been approved for on-highway use by the department of transportation (D.O.T), and a fuel cell won't pass the visual inspection by a smog referee even if the factory fuel cap, filler tube, and all emission equipment are in place.

One of the biggest issues is at the source. Extracting hydrogen isn't exactly a clean process—at least, not yet. As of 2021, more than half of all hydrogen production in the US was done via natural gas and coal.

To date, almost three million EVs have been sold in the U.S. By contrast, as of mid-2022, 17,000 or fewer hydrogen-powered vehicles can be found on U.S. roads. All of them will be in California, the sole state with a network of retail hydrogen fueling stations to make the cars usable. 2024 Hyundai Nexo.

How long will fuel cell last? ›

The fuel cell stacks are designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle, about 150,000–200,000 miles. At the end of its lifespan, the fuel cell will be disassembled and the materials recycled, similar to what happens with vehicle components today. A fuel cell stack is about the size of a roll-aboard suitcase.

More energy- and labor-intensive to store and transport hydrogen than gasoline or diesel fuel. Fuel cells are expensive to replace. Safety concerns over hydrogen flammability and electrical shock. Maintenance costs remain unclear.