Hi! Thanks fort he question.
I will start first with recent developments in fuel cell technology.
This includes both automotive and non-automotive innovations.
Latest Developments Technology:
?There are also a number of new technologies under development that
appear to have the potential to dramatically cut costs. Hitachi
Maxwell, for example, ?used technology for synthesizing ultra-small
particulate magnets ?technology created during the company?s
development of magnetic tape--to uniformly deposit oxide particles a
mere one nanometer in diameter on a substrate?when the deposited
particles reach one nanometer in size, their reactivity increases
dramatically. Consequently, if this new catalytic material is used in
combination with platinum as the catalyst in a fuel cell, for example,
the catalyst performs just as well as a pure platinum catalyst even
though the amount of rare metal used has been decreased.? 34 Poly
Fuel, a small company in Mountain View, California announced the
creation of a hydrocarbon polymer membrane that reportedly cut in half
the price of DuPont?s Nafion material, while 3M has boosted catalytic
activity by creating nanotextured membrane surfaces covered with tiny
columns? (Ashley:2005, 53-54).?
?Hydrogen Fuel Cells and Alternatives in the Transport Sector Issues
for Developing Countries? By Lynn K. Mytelka
http://www.intech.unu.edu/events/workshops/hfc05/Papers/Mytelka.pdf
?PolyFuel Inc., the leader in engineered membranes for fuel cells,
today announced a new version of its hydrocarbon membrane for portable
applications that provides fuel cell manufacturers with the best in
class performance attributes of its predecessor, while at the same
time providing significantly greater manufacturing flexibility. This
is the first hydrocarbon fuel cell membrane that is a ?drop-in?
replacement for fluorocarbon membranes such as DuPont's Nafion® in
existing fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA) manufacturing
processes.?
?Polyfuel Breakthrough Makes High Performance Portable Fuel Cells
Easier to Manufacture?
http://www.azom.com/news.asp?newsID=2896
?PSA Peugeot Citroen has unveiled, what it claims, to be the smallest
fuel cell currently available for cars and pledged further research to
halve the price by 2010.?
?PSA Peugeot Citroen unveils small fuel cell?
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,1602,7034,00.html
?General Motors and the U.S. Army used the NAIAS to show an
interesting diesel hybrid military vehicle equipped with a fuel cell
auxiliary power unit (APU) that could become the model for the Army's
new fleet of 30,000 light tactical vehicles by the end of the decade.?
?Military Diesel Hybrid Truck Features a Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power?
http://www.gizmag.co.uk/go/1720/
?Ballard Powered Mercedes-Benz Citaro Fuel Cell Buses Roll Onto Roads
in Beijing, China?
http://www.ballard.com/be_an_investor/news/2005/11/23/20051123_Beijing_Bus
?German company develops fuel-cell powered bicycles?
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/IndustryInformation/IndustryInformationExternal/NewsDisplayArticle/0,1602,7088,00.html
?We've been hearing about fuel cells for portable products for a few
years now, but there are still none on the market. This will change in
2006, when Medis Technologies releases its Power Pak product, a fuel
cell-based battery recharger for equipment such as cell phones, MP3
players, and portable gaming hardware.?
?The Power Pak will be sold much like a disposable battery: for
$19.99, you'll get a container of liquid fuel (sodium borohydrate,
glycerol, and alcohol) packaged with a disposable fuel cell.?
?Fuel cell for your cell phone? by Rafe Needleman?
http://www.cnet.com/4831-11405_1-6411767.html?tag=all
?Matsushita Battery Industrial Co., Ltd. has prototyped a fuel cell
for use in notebook computers and presented it in its booth at 2006
International CES. In a demonstration using this fuel cell mounted on
a notebook computer "Let's note T4" manufactured by Matsushita
Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., the fuel cell enabled the computer to
run about 20 hours continuously by using 200 cc fuel.?
?Matsushita Battery Unveils Prototype Fuel Cell for Notebook PCs?
http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/english/NEWS_EN/20060110/112188/?ST=english
-----------------------
Latest Developments on Viability:
The next section will be a series of articles discussing the viability
and also opposition of some sectors to the potential of fuel cells use
in automobiles.
Fuel Cell Today provides an assessment about the fuel cell market for
2005. It mentions the following about automotive fuel cells.
?Moving down in size, we find that the automotive market, as mentioned
above is dominated by PEM fuel cells, which take close to 100 per cent
market share. In fact, they perhaps even punch above their weight with
some larger projects in fact incorporating several PEM cells rather
than one larger unit. Nonetheless, they are currently conspicuously
absent from the large stationary market above say 50kW. Solid oxide
cells do have a foothold in the transport market but largely as
smaller auxiliary power units and we do not expect this to change.?
?For transportation applications, the Niche Transport sector provides
some superb examples of innovation in the fuel cell industry. Not only
did it see the start of commercial production for companies such as
Smart Fuel Cell (SFC) and Hydrocell Oy, but it quietly started to
create a real market for adoption. In fact due to the huge growth in
interest and development in the Niche Transport sector, and our belief
that this will continue, 2006 will see this survey split into two
separate issues. One will cover Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) and
Marine fuel cells, and the other will cover industrial vehicle,
aerospace and space, mopeds and bikes etc., trains, wheelchairs and
even robots.?
?Fuel Cell Today 2005 Worldwide Survey? by Kerry-Ann Adamson, Gemma
Crawley and David Jollie
http://www.fuelcelltoday.com/FuelCellToday/FCTFiles/FCTArticleFiles/Article_1068_2005%20Global%20Survey.pdf
In this very candid interview of the former CEO of Ballard Power
Systems, Dennis Campbell, mentions the current problems in attaining
commercial viability for automotive fuel cells. Ballard Power Systems
considers itself as a leader in fuel cell technology.
?Will the popularity of hybrid cars delay commercialization of the fuel cell??
?No, I think it will help accelerate it. The architecture of the
hybrid is the same as for the fuel cell. The only difference is that
we take out the piston engine and put in the fuel cell. A lot of the
core technologies needed to make fuel cells work are being developed
today for hybrid applications. Also, it means the electrification of
the automobile is becoming widely accepted. This is a fundamental
transformation in the way cars are designed.?
?Is getting costs down the key to making the technology widespread??
?That is one of the big challenges, along with durability. The plastic
membrane that makes up the heart of the fuel cell is a bit of a weak
link. But there is a lot of learning going on in our team. To be
honest, the only thing that could change the game is if someone
invented a battery that had a range of 400 miles and could be
recharged in five minutes. You wouldn't need a fuel cell. But people
have been working on that for years, and while battery technology is
improving, it's not going to happen.?
?Running on Empty?? By GORDON PITTS
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051221.rmexit1223/BNStory/specialROBmagazine/
Douglas L. Faulkner, Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, stated in his testimony to the US House
Representatives in July 20, 2005 that major cost achievements has been
achieved for fuel cell technology.
?As highlighted by Secretary Bodman in earlier Congressional
testimony, I am pleased to report that our fuel cell activities
recently achieved an important technology cost goal ? the high- volume
cost of automotive fuel cells was reduced from $275 per kilowatt to
$200 per kilowatt. This was accomplished by using innovative processes
developed by national labs and fuel cell developers for depositing
platinum catalyst. This accomplishment is a major step toward the
Program?s goal of reducing the cost of transportation fuel cell power
systems to $45 per kilowatt by 2010.?
?Statement of Douglas L. Faulkner Acting Assistant Secretary for
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Before the Subcommittees on
Energy and Research Science Committee U.S. House of Representatives
July 20, 2005?
http://www.house.gov/science/hearings/energy05/july%2020/faulkner.pdf
However, others do not share the same sentiments in that testimony.
Some say that it will be decades before fuel cells can really be
commercialized.
In another testimony, this time to the US Senate by former CIA
Director R. James Woolsey, we can get an opposing view.
?There are imaginative proposals for transitioning to other fuels for
transportation, such as hydrogen to power automotive fuel cells, but
this would require major infrastructure investment and restructuring.
If privately-owned fuel cell vehicles were to be capable of being
readily refueled, this would require reformers (equipment capable of
reforming, say, natural gas into hydrogen) to be located at filling
stations, and would also require natural gas to be available there as
a hydrogen feed-stock. So not only would fuel cell development and
technology for storing hydrogen on vehicles need to be further
developed, but the automobile industry?s development and production of
fuel cells also would need to be coordinated with the energy
industry?s deployment of reformers and the fuel for them.?
?Moving toward automotive fuel cells thus requires us to face a huge
question of pace and coordination of large-scale changes by both the
automotive and energy industries. This poses a sort of industrial
Alphonse and Gaston dilemma: who goes through the door first? (If,
instead, it were decided that existing fuels such as gasoline were to
be reformed into hydrogen on board vehicles instead of at filling
stations, this would require on-board reformers to be developed and
added to the fuel cell vehicles themselves ? a very substantial
undertaking.)?
?It is because of such complications that the National Commission on
Energy Policy concluded in its December, 2004, report ?Ending The
Energy Stalemate? (?ETES?) that ?hydrogen offers little to no
potential to improve oil security and reduce climate change risks in
the next twenty years.? (p. 72)?
?U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations November 16, 2005 High
Cost of Crude: The New Currency of Foreign Policy Testimony of R.
James Woolsey?
http://foreign.senate.gov/testimony/2005/WoolseyTestimony051116.pdf
In a May 10, 2005 article, scientists acknowledge that fuel cells are
indeed the future but lost of issues has to be resolved to see the
promise of this technology.
"?In my mind, developing practical hydrogen fuel cells for cars is
definitely doable, but we must solve very daunting technical
challenges,? said Rakesh Agrawal, Purdue University's Winthrop E.
Stone Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering.?
"?Today's fuel cells generate power at a cost of greater than $2,000
per kilowatt, compared with $35 per kilowatt for the internal
combustion engine, so they are more than 10 times more expensive than
conventional automotive technology,? Agrawal said. "At the same time,
fuel cells have an operating lifetime for cars of less than 1,000
hours of driving time, compared with at least 5,000 hours of driving
time for an internal combustion engine.?
"?That means fuel cells wear out at least five times faster than
internal combustion engines. If I buy a new car, I expect it to last,
say, 10 years, which equates to about 3,000 hours of driving time. If
my fuel cell only lasts 1,000 hours, you can see that's not very
practical.?"
?Engineers face major challenges to make fuel-cell cars reality? by Emil Venere
http://news.uns.purdue.edu/html4ever/2005/050510.Agrawal.fuelcells.html
In our very first link, we talked about former Ballard Systems CEO
Dennis Campbell. The company acknowledges the challenges but they say
that by 2010 the company will be able to provide commercial fuel
cells. This is a link to their road map to achieve this technology.
?Technology ?Road Map??
http://www.ballard.com/be_informed/fuel_cell_technology/roadmap
Ballard Vice-President Charles Stone mentions the following challenges
for the road map.
"Reducing costs is not easy when only a small number of fuel-cell
systems are being made. And maintaining durability is tough when
features such as freeze-start and operation under reduced relative
humidity are required.?
?Conventional perfluorinated membranes, for example, are vulnerable to
attack by the peroxide by-products of the PEMFC reaction...
State-of-the-art membranes have thicknesses of just 25-50 ?m, are more
resistant to chemical attack and exhibit excellent reproducibility.?
?Beyond the basic fuel-cell components, the biggest challenges for
Ballard are in enhancing the overall efficiency of the fuel-cell stack
while minimizing the cost and complexity of the balance-of-plant
components. High-temperature operation is also going to be critical.?
?The roadmap shows the way? by Siān Harris
http://fcr.iop.org/articles/features/2/4/2/1
---------------------------
Here are other resources that you can use as regards to viability of
automotive fuel cells. Dates of when the articles were created are
included in order to help you prioritize your research sources.
?Auto Makers Must Bridge a 15-Year Gap before Hydrogen Power Arrives? (2006)
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/01/12/207277.html
?Fuel Cells Coming Into View? (2005)
http://www.fuelcellsworks.com/Supppage4161.html
?Challenges? (2005)
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_challenges.shtml
?Hydrogen as an Energy Carrier: Outlook for 2010, 2030 and 2050? by
Joan Ogden (2005)
http://www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/10%2D50%5FOgden%2Epdf
?Transit Buses: Today's Pioneers in Fuel Cell Transportation? (2005)
http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/features/fcvt_feature_bus.shtml
?Fuel Cell Technology: Prospects, Promises and Challenges? (2005)
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/400_fcv/fc_challenges.html
?The Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program? (2005)
http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/
?'Metal-Decorated' Nanotubes Hold Promise for Fuel Cells? (2005)
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/news_nanotubes.htm
?The Hydrogen Economy: Opportunities, Costs, Barriers, and R&D Needs (2004)?
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309091632/html
?FUEL CELL SYSTEM ECONOMICS: COMPARING THE COSTS OF GENERATING POWER
WITH STATIONARY AND MOTOR VEHICLE PEM FUEL CELL SYSTEMS? by Timothy
Lipman (2004)
http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~rael/Fuelcell2004.pdf
?Let the Hydrogen Economy Evolve? by Lynne Kiesling (2003) (5-part series)
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/kiesling_20030324.shtml (Part 1)
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/kiesling_20030325.shtml (Part 2)
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/kiesling_20030326b.shtml (Part 3)
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/kiesling_20030327.shtml (Part 4)
http://www.reason.org/commentaries/kiesling_20030328.shtml (Part 5)
?Market concepts, competing technologies and cost challenges for
automotive and stationary applications? by T. Lipman and D. Sperling
(2003)
http://www.uctc.net/papers/690.pdf
?FUEL CELL VEHICLES: RACE TO A NEW AUTOMOTIVE FUTURE? (2003)
http://www.technology.gov/reports/TechPolicy/CD117a-030129.pdf
?Fuel Cell Report to Congress? (2003)
http://www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/pdfs/fc_report_congress_feb2003.pdf
?Potential for the Commercialization of Fuel Cells in Taiwan? by
Chi-Chao Wan and Robert Rose (2003)
http://www.fuelcells.org/taiwan.pdf
?Canadian Fuel Cell Commercialization Roadmap? (2003)
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/intrm-crt.nsf/vwapj/FuelCellsen.pdf/$FILE/FuelCellsen.pdf
?The Future of the Hydrogen Economy: Bright or Bleak?? by Ulf Bossel (2003)
http://www.eyeforfuelcells.com/docs/hydrogen_economy.pdf
?Review of Fuel Cell Commercial for DTI and The Carbon Trust? (2003)
http://www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/carbontrust/about/publications/Fuel_cell_commercial_review.pdf
?Solid Oxide Fuel Cells?Ready to Market?? by Sandrine Colson-Inam (2003)
http://www.eyeforfuelcells.com/ReportDisplay.asp?ReportID=2008
?Platinum: Too Precious for Fuel Cell Vehicles?? by Nancy L. Garland,
JoAnn Milliken, Eric Carlson and Fred Wagner (2002)
http://alpha.chem.umb.edu/chemistry/ch471/documents/Cost-of-fuel-cell-platumn2002-01-1896.pdf
?PROJECTED AUTOMOTIVE FUEL CELL USE IN CALIFORNIA? by Louis Browning (2001)
http://www.energy.ca.gov/reports/2002-02-06_600-01-022F.PDF
?Technical Challenges in PEM Fuel Cell Development? by F. Barbir (no date)
http://www.powerpulse.net/features/techpaper_print.php?paperID=28
?Fuel cell? (no date)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_cell
Search terms used:
?automotive fuel cell? ?fuel cells? viability commercialization
vehicles cars news 2005
I hope these links would help you in your research. Before rating this
answer, please ask for a clarification if you have a question or if
you would need further information.
Regards,
Easterangel-ga
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