The Hydrogen Fuel Cell and the Electric Car

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The electric car has been around since the 1830s, eventually transitioning to a practical transportation choice in the late 1800s after improvements in the storage capacity of batteries. The electric car was at the peak of its popularity in the early 1990s. However, its popularity was short-lived; by 1935 the electric car had become a rarity, being replaced by the gas-powered vehicles. Reasons for the change being that the electric car could not travel long distances without recharging due to the limited storage capacities of batteries, it was faster to fuel a gas car than recharge an electric car, and finally, the mass production of the gas car lowered its price significantly compared to the electric car. Present day, the conventional gas powered vehicle is still preferred over electric cars, but advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology are making the option of owning a hydrogen fuel cell powered car more of a possibility as well as highlighting the benefits of other electric cars. In the following paragraphs the operation of the Ballard fuel cell is explained, the challenges with implementing a fuel cell system is discussed and lastly, the possible social and environmental effects of electric cars are explored. The fuel cell manufactured by Ballard Power Systems is fuel cell that requires hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. The fuel cell itself consists of two flow field plates, and two thin sheets of catalysts with a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane or Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) in between (see Figure 1). The hydrogen is fed in through one plate and oxygen collected from the air in another – on either side of the membrane. Of the two electrodes on is the anode and the other is the cathode. The hydrogen reaches the ano... ... middle of paper ... ...ehicles.htm Bellis, M. History of Electric Vehicles: Decline and Rise of Electric Cars from 1930 to 1990. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/Electric-Vehicles.htm (2008, March 6). Ballard Fuel Cell Technology. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sncuy89bjCc How Fuel Cells Work. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_pem.shtml Challenges. (n.d.) Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_challenges.shtml Lombardi, C. (2011, April 27). Study: Electric cars, hybrids too expensive for most. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20057942-54.html How A Fuel Cell Works. (n.d.). Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.ballard.com/about-ballard/fuel-cell-education-resources/how-a-fuel-cell-works.aspx

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