It is progress in the development of hydrogen-air PEM stacks that has made fuel cells a contender for powering automobiles of the future. For many years, the energy and power densities of PEM cells were so low and the amount of platinum catalyst required was so high that most commercial applications seemed out of the question. For example, the platinum requirements for the PEM cells used on Gemini space missions of the 1960s were on the order of 100 g/ kW, for a cost factor of $1500/kW (assuming a platinum cost of $15/g). A typical automotive fuel cell stack would be 80 kW, implying a cost of $120,000 for the catalyst material alone. By comparison, current automotive catalytic converters require roughly 0.05 g/ kW of platinum-group metals, costing on the order of $100 for an average car. More stringent emissions standards are pushing precious metal requirements higher, so that future gasoline vehicles may need 0.1 to 0.2 g/kW of platinum group metals. (more…)
Numerous other parts are needed for a complete fuel cell engine suitable for motor vehicles. These auxiliary components include man ...
Fuel cells are typically classified according to type of electrolyte. While many varieties of fuel cells have been demonstrated ...
Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells have high-power density, rapid startup, and low-temperature operation (around 80 to 120 C), and ...
A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that directly converts a fuel to electricity by means of reactions on the surfaces of ...
Alkaline fuel cell, often known as the Bacon fuel cell following the British inventor’ name. It has become the most created fue ...
In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the role of automotive emissions as environmental pollutants. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide degrade the earth’s atmosphere and are health hazards. Carbon dioxide adds to the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases and in turn accelerates the process of global warming. (more…)
Most alternative fuel vehicles on the road today were originally designed for gasoline, but converted for use with an alternative f ...
The development and blending of gasoline additives and petroleum additivies are undertaken for the most part by the petroleum r ...
Almost all fossil fuels use is by burning them to create energy. Burning process then produces waste products due to impurities in ...
At present, in the United States and worldwide, motor vehicles are fueled almost exclusively by petroleum based gasoline (or re ...
A combination of legislation and technology has helped clean up many of the world’s coal-burning plants. Both developed and develop ...
The development and blending of gasoline additives and petroleum additivies are undertaken for the most part by the petroleum refining industry. Additives are essential to the economic well-being of the industry because they tend to boost sales for gasoline fuel and diesel fuel. In most cases, gasoline additives do not differ in price by more than three to four cents a gallon. The recently developed additives do not necessarily sacrifice fuel efficiency and fuel savings for higher octane numbers. They are multifunctional. In addition to boosting octane ratings they may also clean the engine, which, in turn, leads to greater fuel efficiency. (more…)
Prior to the Clean Air Act of 1990, environmental issues regulations were aimed at reducing emissions as they left the exhaust ...
Most alternative fuel vehicles on the road today were originally designed for gasoline, but converted for use with an alternative f ...
In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the role of automotive emissions as environmental pollutants. Sulfur dio ...
At present, in the United States and worldwide, motor vehicles are fueled almost exclusively by petroleum based gasoline (or re ...
The leading automotive brands are being focused to produce electric vehicles because they believe they represent a harmony to the e ...
