Fuel Cells Could Last 10x Longer with New Development

Fuel Cells Could Last 10x Longer with New Development


Fuel cells could become financially viable within a decade. University of Waterloo researchers have developed a new fuel cell technology that lasts 10x longer than current options.

We’ve all been seduced by the promise of fuel cells – clean, renewable energy, with none of the intrinsic limitations of traditional batteries. Some feel their theoretical efficiency can approach 80-90%, while others see it as fool’s gold.

Writing for EV World, Dominic Crea notes that “when one considers all of the parasitic losses and ancillary subsystems necessary to make a practical fuel cell-powered vehicle, the real world efficiency plummets from 83% to something like 40%....”

Either way, this University of Waterloo development could dramatically shift the landscape for fuel cells by making them simpler and cheaper.

"With our design approach, the cost could be comparable or even cheaper than gasoline engines," said Xianguo Li, director of the Fuel Cell and Green Energy Lab at Waterloo. "The future is very bright. This is clean energy that could boom."

This could help stimulate a market which could reach 350,000 shipments by 2022 and become financially viable by 2025.

Read more about this here: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/uow-cf050719.php

 


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