Fuel Cells
The Hydrogen Bottleneck
Will we ever see fuel cell cars on the road? Many critics feel that government support for this technology is misguided, with far better options available for alternative-fuel, "green" transportation. While the fuel cell concept is simple, implementation faces major hurdles. For example, there are more than 170,000 gas stations in the United States and so far well under 100 hydrogen counterparts. Here is the basic science behind the operation of a fuel cell vehicle...
Hydrogen Power in China
Public and private investment in fuel cell development in China over the next few years is projected to be over (US)$500 million. The priority is to develop fuel cells for transportation applications, beginning with busses and electric powered bicycles. Fuel cells convert hydrogen into electricity, creating almost no pollution in the process. The most advanced batteries can only store about 300 watt hours per kilogram, limiting the range of battery-powered electric vehicles. A fuel cell with a hydrogen tank, by contrast, can store about 900 watt hours per kilogram, creating a viable range for bicycles and busses that don't pollute. But hydrogen fuel cell power has daunting technological hurdles that must be overcome before they can help solve pollution or energy challenges...
Car of the Future
Would you buy a car that goes 700 miles on a fill-up, and costs only $20 to fill the tank? There are many candidates for next-generation cars: high-tech diesels, hybrids, electric cars, and fuel cell cars. But the most efficient we've seen yet is a prototype fuel cell car being developed by Anuvu Inc....
Fuel Cells
Fuel cells are batteries that can be fueled by gasoline, methane, ethanol, or hydrogen, to name some. Charge producing electrons are chemically extracted from the fuel by the elements inside the fuel cell, which from an electro-chemical standpoint are identical to the elements inside the common battery, a continuous electric current, with energy derived from this fuel input. They last anywhere from one to six years before they wear out or need an overhaul...
California Fuel Cell Partnership
In the western corner of West Sacramento, in a promontory of light industrial buildings that runs along the south frontage of Interstate 80, is the home of the California Fuel Cell Partnership. They are a depot for most of the hydrogen fuel cell powered cars in North America...
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