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The history of the fuel cell can be traced back to the 19th century. Since then the development and usage of fuel cells in a variety of applications have come a long way. Fuel cells hold great promise for fueling alternative fuel vehicles. Here is some of the history of the development of fuel cells: William Grove invented the fuel cell in 1839.

 

General Electric invented proton exchange membrane fuel cells in the 1950s Francis Bacon demonstrated a 5kW alkaline fuel cell in 1959. NASA’s use of fuel cells during the Apollo space missions in the 1960s was the first commercial use of fuel cells. Alkaline fuel cells have flown over 100 missions and operated for more than 80,000 hours in spacecrafts operated by NASA.

The US Navy has been using fuel cells in submarines since the 1980s Fuel cell buses are running in several cities around the world, the largest being the European Union backed CUTE project (Clean Urban Transport for Europe). All major automakers have prototypes of alternative fuel vehicles using fuel cells on the road-some have already been leased to customers. Iceland has plans to convert its fishing fleet from diesel engines to hydrogen fuel cells as part of a national project to create a fossil fuel free economy Several car manufacturers are hoping to produce their first semi-commercial models of fuel cell cars by 2005, yet they will most probably not be mass produced until 2010.

Numerous fuel cell products will be coming to market-portable direct methanol fuel cells will power mobile phones, laptops and cameras in the near future A fuel cell is around 60% efficient at converting fuel to power, double the efficiency of an internal combustion gas engine-which makes it perfect for alternative fuel vehicles. Fuel cells have several advantages over conventional power sources like internal combustion gas engines or batteries.

Additionally, there are disadvantages facing manufacturers hoping to commercialize fuel cells. See how they stack up as the next best fuel for alternative fuel vehicles. Advantages Fuel cells reduce pollution that is caused by the burning of fossil fuels-their only by-product is water If the hydrogen used in the fuel cell comes from the electrolysis of water, then using fuel cells will eliminate greenhouse gases Because fuel cells don’t need conventional fuels like oil or gas, they eliminate economic dependence on politically unstable countries

Since hydrogen can be manufactured anywhere there is water and electricity, production of potential fuel can be allocated in various areas Fuel cells operate at a higher efficiency than diesel or gas engines which makes them an ideal source of efficient power for alternative fuel vehicles Most fuel cells operate silently, while internal combustion engines do not Fuel cells can operate for longer times than batteries, therefore to double the operating time, only the fuel needs to be doubled and not the capacity of the unit itself

The maintenance of fuel cells is relatively straightforward since there are few moving parts in the system Disadvantages Energizing fuel cells continues to be a major problem while production, transportation, distribution and storage of hydrogen remains difficult Reforming hydrocarbons via a reformer to produce hydrogen is technically challenging and not actually environmentally friendly

The refuelling and the starting time of fuel cell vehicles are longer, while the driving range is shorter than in a conventional vehicle Fuel cells are normally somewhat larger than comparable batteries or engines, however, the size of the units continues to decrease with research and testing Fuel cells are currently expensive to produce, since most units are hand-made and some use expensive materials

The technology is not yet fully developed, therefore few products are readily available Although hydrogen fuel cells appear to be the most promising source of alternative fuel, other sources are being researched and tested. Alternative transportation fuels provide economic advantages while also offering significant environmental benefits. They offer air quality advantages through reduced emissions and some fuels produce less greenhouse gas emissions than gasoline.

There’s significant research being conducted worldwide. Canada, for example, is recognized as a world leader in the development and use of alternative transportation fuels with more than 170,000 alternative fuel vehicles in use across Canada.

Some of the most promising alternative fuel sources being suggested for future use in motor vehicles are: Ethanol Propane Natural gas Biodiesel Electricity Hydrogen At this point, it’s anyone’s guess what the future holds for alternative fuel vehicles. � 2004 AllAboutHybridCars.com. Any reproduction of this article in any manner is prohibited without the consent of AllAboutHybridCars.com. We give permission to use this article on your website or e-zine if you reproduce it exactly as it appears here including this notice

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Copyright 2006 Dana Buttenhoff The questions about alternative fuel vehicles increase every time gasoline prices rise. There are many options for vehicle manufacturers. Getting these vehicles from the research and development phase to the mainstream public has been a long and tedious process.

 

The American vehicle manufacturers seem to have lagged behind the Japanese in this regard or have they? When most people hear the term "alternative fuel vehicle" the vast majority will think of hybrid vehicles, the gas and electric combination. In the 2006 model year vehicle line-up for cars the only hybrid choices are Japanese. For light trucks however, the only choices are American.

The SUV line up has both Japanese and American choices. The big question remains to be answered; will the demand for alternative fuel vehicles be the saving grace for a faltering American auto industry? Can General Motors and Ford adapt quickly enough to the consumer demand for lower operating costs for the average American driver to use the current spike in gasoline prices to their advantage?

Perhaps the opposite is true and the inability to change will push one or both of the American auto giants over the top and make them a takeover target for perhaps Toyota?

If you don’t think this scenario is possible, have you ever heard of a company called DaimlerChrysler? Hybrid technology seems to be the most recognizable with the general public but it is not the only alternative fuel choice available. Some other alternative fuel sources have been used for years, mostly in fleet or industrial vehicles.

The most notable would be Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) more commonly known as propane. Another similar fuel source is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Fleets of trucks, buses and government agency cars have used these fuel sources for many years. Having a network of fueling stations is a stumbling point to bringing these vehicles to mainstream America.

One reason why these fuel sources work well for fleet usage is because of the central garage and fueling station arrangement. When the vehicle has completed its workday it is brought back to the central garage as well as fueled for the next day’s service. Although both LPG and CNG are fossil fuels they produce less emissions than gasoline.

Flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) are vehicles that have a single fuel source and are designed to run on either regular unleaded gasoline or a mixture of gasoline and an alcohol fuel source such as ethanol or methanol. With many farmer owned cooperatives building ethanol production facilities as a way to market their corn and other grain crops this type of alternative fuel vehicle choice has gained the most momentum in mainstream America.

Another type of alternative fuel source vehicle is known as a Bi-fuel Vehicle. This design uses two completely separate fuel system. Typically one fuel source is a readily available fuel such as regular unleaded gasoline or diesel and the other fuel source is either LPG or CNG.

By using two fuel sources the vehicle has greater flexibility to travel outside the limited refueling network for LPG or CNG. The vehicle is designed to easily switch between the two fuel sources based on fuel availability. Electric vehicles show promise but there are issues with the weight from battery storage sources and a network of recharging facilities as well as their limited travel range.

Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV) are several years away as they are not expected to reach the mass market prior to 2010.Government agencies and domestic automobile manufacturers are joining forces to bring a zero emission vehicle that does not rely on fossil fuels to the American driving public.

Freedom CAR is a cooperative research effort between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research whose goal is to develop cars and trucks that are cheaper to operate, pollution free, competitively priced and free from imported oil. With alternative fuel sources there will be growing pains.

These would include setting up a network of refueling stations and training automotive repair technicians on vehicles that are completely different from what they have repaired in the past. There are many automotive technicians who, I am sure, will leave the industry as the new technology is introduced.

The neighborhood repair garage will disappear as these increasingly more sophisticated vehicles begin rolling on American streets and highways. Most vehicle manufactures will keep the training on these new vehicles for their network of dealer service technicians only.

If you are considering an alternative fuel vehicle you should also consider the proximity of refueling stations and how that network will expand in the foreseeable future. Staying informed on alternative fuel vehicles currently in production as well as those that will be available in the near future will be to your advantage as a consumer.

-Reference material from www.fuleconomy.gov , The Department of Energy, FreedomCAR initiative and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency