THE ROLE OF THE

10
Fuel-Cell Chemistry
Overview
10.1 IntroductIon
Companies such as Daimler, Ford, GM, Honda, Peugeot–Citroen, Toyota, and
Renault–Nissan have long known the limitations of internal combustion engines.
The efficiency of petroleum-fueled engines is expected to peak at around 30% [1].
Efficiency is not the only limitation for internal combustion engines. As detailed
in Chapter 9, combustion of gasoline produces emissions that are environmentally
harmful. Hydrocarbons, CO 2 emissions, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide
are released into the atmosphere during combustion. Predictions are that fuel-cell
vehicles will be twice as efficient as internal combustion engines and have only byproducts
of water and heat [1].
With advances in technology such as direct fuel injection, improvements in EGR
valves, and improvement in cylinder sealing, internal combustion engines have
greatly improved in efficiency. Since the 1960s, CO 2, hydrocarbon emissions, and
nitrogen oxides have decreased by over 90% [1]. Despite these improvements, CO 2
emissions remain a cause for concern due to their global warming potential (discussed
in Chapter 9). One of the benefits of fuel-cell vehicles is that they produce no
polluting emissions and utilize a renewable source of energy.
General Motors and Toyota are also aggressively pursuing battery-operated vehicles;
however, these have certain drawbacks as well. Battery-powered vehicles only
store a finite amount of energy. Range for these vehicles is limited typically to about
100 miles, and cooling of the lithium ion battery is currently an issue [1]. The hybrid
vehicles currently being produced are a great help with fuel efficiency and environmental
issues are only a stop-gap measure. With these technologies, a fundamental
paradigm shift in automotive as well as world thinking around energy and its efficient
use is currently occurring.
10.2 Future marKet and usage
Recent studies by the WBCSD (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)
have been published and some very interesting findings noted [2]. For instance, with
a current population of motor vehicles of approximately 600 million, the WBCSD
points out that the world population is urbanizing; it projects 8 billion people living
in urban areas by 2030 and fuel use to be 3.8 trillion L by 2030 [2]. If population
predictions are accurate, then as many as 1.2 billion persons will have vehicles by
2030 [3]. As countries like China and India develop their middle class, we can expect
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