Category: Fuel Cells

Platinum is expensive and that’s a fact. That is why many fuel cell manufacturers are trying to use nickel or other metal alternatives for fuel cells that run automobiles. The only problem is that these platinum-free fuel cells have only been mildly successful. Longevity and efficiency have suffered. The other alternative is to build fuel […]

For many years now, electric vehicle advocates and hydrogen car enthusiasts have been at each other’s throats in regard to which alternative vehicle will be given the nod by the public at large. This week President Obama gave a wink and a smile to the EV corner as he pulled the rug out from under […]

Researchers in Canada and Japan are working on two different methods to eliminate expensive platinum from fuel cells bringing down the costs of future hydrogen cars as much as $5,000. Researchers in California, on the other hand, are using nanotechnology to greatly reduce the amount of platinum needed in hydrogen fuel cells. All of the […]

In the past I’ve talked about the need to both reduce and eliminate the need for platinum in fuel cells in order for hydrogen cars and vehicles to become economically viable. It makes no sense to pour a million or so hydrogen cars on the road only to be hit with a worldwide shortage of […]

Horizon Fuel Cell is raising the stakes this week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is Las Vegas, Nevada. Now, I’ve talked about Horizon Fuel Cell several times in the past. In May 2007, I talked about how this company used hydrogen fuel cells to power bikes, cars, boats and jets. In October 2007, I […]

The U. S. Fuel Cell Council is asking the Congress and new Obama administration for $1.2 billion to stimulate the hydrogen fuel cell industry and create high tech jobs. At stake are around 24,000 jobs that could be created in this narrow sector of the alternative energy field. Most of the jobs would come from […]

In 2004, in London’s Trafalgar Square the first hydrogen fuel cell powered Christmas tree went online for the holiday season. In 2006, in the same location the Crib lights were powered by fuel cell. Also, in 2006 in Sacramento, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver lit the first U. S. fuel cell […]

I’ve written quite a bit about hydrogen fuel cells over the past couple of months from those who are reducing the need for platinum in FC’s to those who are eliminating it altogether. But in tough economic times like these the hydrogen fuel cell is taking quite a roller coaster ride. On the positive side, […]

In 2004, a publication from Harvard University came out titled “Plasma Sputtering Deposition of Platinum into Porous fuel Cell Electrodes” that talked about using nanotechnology to increase the surface area and reduce the platinum used in fuel cells. Now, the Australian National University is reporting that they have created “hairy” fuel cell electrodes that only […]

A week ago I talked about how the U. S. Army decided to install hydrogen fueling stations to cleanly refuel their test fleet of hydrogen cars. The fueling stations are solar powered and use water so zero emissions are generated from well to wheel, as they say (in the oil industry). Now, the U. S. […]