Fuel cells may replce IC engines as a primary energy resource

Fuel cells are electrochemical cells that directly oxidise the fuel at electrodes producing electrical and thermal energy. The oxidant is usually oxygen from the air and the fuel is usually gaseous, with hydrogen preferred. There has, so far, been little success using low temperature fuel cells ( < 200C ) to perform the direct oxidation of hydrocarbon-based liquids or gases. Methanol can be used as a source for the hydrogen by adding an on-board reformer. The main advantage of fuel cells is their high fuel-to- electricity efficiency of about 40-60% of the net calorific value of the fuel. As fuel cells also produce heat that can be used for vehicle climate control, fuel cells are the most likely candidate to replace the IC engine as a primary energy source. Fuel cells are quiet and produce virtually no toxic emissions, but they do require a clean fuel ( no halogens, CO, S, or ammonia ) to avoid poisoning. But the only disadvantage is that , they are currently expensive to produce, and have a short operational lifetime, when compared to an IC engine