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As HEVs gain a foothold, fuel cell technology is taking shape. Hydrogen fuel cells have long been used to generate electricity in spacecraft and in stationary applications such as emergency power generators. Fuel cells produce electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, and produce no harmful emissions. In fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), hydrogen may be stored as a pressurized gas in onboard fuel tanks. The electricity feeds a storage battery (as in today's hybrids) that energizes a vehicle's electric motor.
An FCV may be thought of as a type of hybrid because its electric battery is charged by a separate onboard system. This underscores the importance of advancing present-day HEV technologies. HEVs help reduce petroleum consumption immediately and provide lessons about batteries, energy storage, fuel advancements, and complex electronic controls that may apply directly to future transportation technologies. HEVs have federal and state purchase incentives that make them approximately cost-competitive with conventional cars and trucks. The challenge now is to cross that milestone with hydrogen fuel cells and FCVs.
DOE's Vehicle Technologies Program, launched in 2002 as the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program, aims to cross this milestone by conducting research on advanced automotive and truck technologies that will provide the transition to hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
For more information on FCVs and to see a conceptual drawing, check out the Advanced Vehicle and Fuels Research Web site.
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