What is a Fuel Cell?

Our fuel cell is a 8KW PEM from Hydrogenics.

Here's what happens in the fuel cell:

When hydrogen gas pumped from the fuel tanks arrives at the anode, which is made of platinum, the platinum catalyzes a reaction that ionizes the gas. Ionization breaks the hydrogen atom down into its positive ions (hydrogen protons) and negative ions (electrons). Both types of ions are naturally drawn to the cathode situated on the other side of the membrane, but only the protons can pass through the membrane (hence the name "proton-exchange"). The electrons are forced to go around the PEM, and along the way they are shunted through a circuit, generating the electricity that runs the car's systems.

Using the two different routes, the hydrogen protons and the electrons quickly reach the cathode. While hydrogen is fed to the anode, oxygen is fed to the cathode, where a catalyst creates oxygen ions. The arriving hydrogen protons and electrons bond with these oxygen ions, creating the two "waste products" of the reaction-water vapor and heat. Some of the water vapor gets recycled for use in humidification, and the rest drips out of the tailpipe as "exhaust." This cycle proceeds continuously as long as the car is powered up and in motion; when it's idling, output from the fuel cell is shut off to conserve fuel, and the ultracapacitor takes over to power air conditioning and other components.

Taken from Nova. To read the full article please click here.