And is the by product heat and water?Can they eventually replace the combustion engine?And the simple design, why are they so expensive?
Electricity, because the means of producing it is already established on a mass scale. Hydrogen fuel cells are still relatively new, and haven't seen mass production on a level that would reduce costs. Electricity is virtually free today, while hyrdrogen still has a cost to process.
Yes they can if we can find unlimited hydrogen. However, hydrogen does not exist by itself and has to be produces with either natural gas or with water and large amounts of electricity. And fuel cells are so expensive because ot work they need a catalyst made from platinum.
Fuel cells convert about 35% of the energy in hydrogen to electricity. The only by products are heat and water. Because of the materials they are made from, their inefficiency, zero tolerance for polluted water and short usable life, they are not a viable option to replace the ICE. Simple in design and concept but expensive based on their materials and there is no substitute.
No. They do eventually wear out like everything else. If that is the meaning of your question. The platinum catalyst, (which is the most prevalent and efficient) and the cells components lose their effectiveness with use. Yes, the only by product is heat and water. Yes, they will replace the combustion engine and make batteries obsolete as well. Research into using other metals by reducing them to nano size to increase efficiency is in its final phases. And yes, the design is simple, but precision is the key to making a fuel cell reliable and efficient requiring complicated construction techniques. The cost of the platinum catalyst is also a factor. But hopefully, with the advent of nanometals, it will bring the cost of production down to a reasonable level for mass production. And no, I have no ties or relation to Quantumsphere.
the fuel cell basically is a controlled reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. when the hydrogen is depleted, the electricity production is also stopped. lots of people also believe that hydrogen fuel cell is a clean but they are actually mistaken. how was the hydrogen isolated in the first place? it can take massive amounts of energy to get the hydrogen and it might not always be the cleanest of energy sources.
