Fuel Cells

Fuel cells are pollution-free power sources that convert chemical energy to electricity with high efficiency and zero emissions. Fuel cell cars, trucks, and buses would allow people to travel long distances with convenient refueling and less of a carbon footprint.

Technology Analyst Luke Gear presents his findings from the Electric and Hybrid Marine conference held in Amsterdam.

The Toshiba ESS "H2PLAZA," produces and supplies hydrogen with renewable energy for fuel-cell forklifts and is now supplying hydrogen at Toyota.

Advancements in zero-emission fuel cells could make the technology cheap enough to replace traditional gasoline engines in vehicles.

A promising alternative to conventional power plants, solid oxide fuel cells use electrochemical methods that can generate power more efficiently than existing combustion-based generators. But fuel cells tend to degrade too quickly, eating up any efficiency gains through increased cost.

GE's Power Conversion business and Nedstack, a leading fuel cell manufacturer, are collaborating on developing hydrogen fuel cell systems for powering zero-emission cruise vessels.

A team of engineers has developed a high-power fuel cell using a unique pH-gradient-enabled microscale bipolar interface that could power a variety of transportation modes — including unmanned underwater vehicles, drones and eventually electric aircraft — at significantly lower cost.

The 2019 Toyota Mirai electric vehicle touts zero emissions, thanks to a fuel cell that runs on hydrogen instead of gasoline. But the Mirai has barely left California, partly because today's fuel cell electrodes are made of super expensive platinum.

Batteries are currently outpacing fuel cells in the technological race to power the electric vehicle. Lithium batteries keep getting cheaper, while fuel cells remain hampered by pricey, short-lived platinum catalysts. Researchers suggest that adding a bit more platinum—albeit in a novel form—could help fuel cell cars catch up.