User 253409

FuelCell Falls as Alternative Energy Fad Fades

Fuel cell technology will lose in the future compared to electricity, because of it's not efficient compared to electricity. Take cars and just think of it. First you need hydrogen, made of electricity. Manufacturing hydrogen costs energy. Then you convert the chemical energy of the hydrogen into electrical energy to run an electric motor.
Electric cars store the electricity directly in batteries or ultracapacitors, so you have one step less in energy coversion, which make electric cars more energy efficient.
The only reason that car makers still invest in fuel cells is that fuel cells generate more power than batteries. However, progress is made fast in the battery world and a promising technology are ultracapacitors, which combine (some of the) energy storing capacity of traditionla batteries and the power capacity of capacitors.