Challenges

Although the potential benefits of fuel cells are significant, many challenges, technical and otherwise, must be overcome before fuel cell vehicles will be a successful, competitive alternative for consumers.

Cost

Cost is the greatest challenge to fuel cell development and adaptation, and it is a factor in almost all other fuel cell challenges as well. Several fuel cell designs require expensive, precious-metal catalysts, while others require costly materials that are resistant to extremely high temperatures. Costs are also associated with fuel cell durability and operating lifetime, fuel delivery and storage, and other aspects of fuel cell use.

Durability & Dependability

Another technical challenge facing fuel cells is the need to increase durability and dependability. High-temperature fuel cells, in particular, are prone to material breakdown and shortened operating lifetimes. PEM fuel cells must have effective water management systems to operate dependably and efficiently. Finally, all fuel cells are prone, in varying degrees, to catalyst poisoning, which decreases fuel cell performance and longevity. Research into these areas is ongoing, and DOE is sponsoring and participating in demonstration programs to test the durability of new components and designs.

Fuel Issues

A number of fuel-related challenges exist for fuel cells, especially those powered by pure hydrogen.

• Production. Hydrogen is currently more expensive to produce than conventional fuels, such as gasoline, and many of the more cost-effective production methods generate greenhouse gases.

• Delivery. The current system for delivering conventional fuels to consumers cannot be used for hydrogen. New infrastructure will have to be developed and deployed. Unfortunately, since several potential technologies are evolving at this stage of development, the exact infrastructure requirements have not been determined.

• Storage. Hydrogen has a low energy density in terms of volume, making it difficult to store amounts adequate for most applications in a reasonable-sized space. This is a particular problem for hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles, which must store hydrogen in compact tanks. High-pressure storage tanks are currently being developed, and research is being conducted into the use of other storage technologies such as metal hydrides and carbon nanostructures (materials that can absorb and retain high concentrations of hydrogen).

• Safety. Hydrogen, like gasoline or any other fuel, has safety risks and must be handled with due caution. While we are quite familiar with gasoline, handling hydrogen will be new to most of us. Therefore, developers must optimize new fuel storage and delivery systems for safe everyday use, and consumers must become familiar with hydrogen's properties and risks.

Public Acceptance

Finally, fuel cell technology must be embraced by consumers before its benefits can be realized. This is especially true for transportation, stationary residential, and portable applications, where consumers will interact with fuel cell technology directly. Consumers may have concerns about the dependability and safety of fuel-cell-powered equipment, just as they have about other modern devices when they were introduced.