A brief overview of fuel cells

Benefits of fuel cells

Fuel cells offer a number of potential benefits that make them appealing for transportation use:

Efficiency: Fuel cells system, with their associated electric drives, are more efficient than internal combustion engine.

Low or No Emissions: Depending on the source fuel used for the hydrogen, fuel cells offer significant reductions in pollutant emissions. If pure hydrogen is used, the fuel cell has no pollutant emissions.

Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Again, depending on the source fuel used, greater use of fuel cells can greatly reduce CO2 emissions. Hydrogen can be generated from non-carbon sources; in combination with the greater efficiency of the fuel cell system, greenhouse gas reduction associated with transportation also depends on how the hydrogen is generated. Hydrogen generated using renewables will have zero greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy Security: Use of fuel cells for transportation could reduce dependence on petroleum and allow greater energy diversity. Hydrogen can be generated from many different sources -- natural gas, ethanol, electrolysis, etc. -- and it may be the case that there will not be one primary source of hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. Different regions could choose a hydrogen source based on the most available and economical source for that region.

Quiet and smooth operation: For transit buses, fuel cells may offer significantly more pleasant operation for transit riders. The fuel cell itself has no moving parts, although the fuel cell system will have pumps and fans; nevertheless, fuel cell operation is quieter than that of a diesel engine. Electric motors typically allow smoother starts and stops than a typical diesel-engine buses.

What is a fuel cell?

Types of fuel cells