Fuel Cells Are Game Changers, Toyota Says

We wrote a while ago regarding how fuel cells stack up against batteries. We concluded they are different, because fuel cells do not have electrodes in the battery sense. Then we thought again and decided we were being too limiting. All batteries store energy. Fuel cells store energy too, so they must be a special class of battery. Scientists are beginning to wonder whether fuel cells are game changers of the energy world.

Fuel Cells are Game Changers at Kenworth T800 Sprint

Totota removed hydrogen fuel cell engines from two Mirai cars earlier this month, and shoehorned these into a giant Kenworth T800 truck. The combined 1325 lb-ft of torque propelled the monster vehicle to 60 mph in seven seconds flat, leaving the 670 horsepower diesel version trailing behind in a cloud of water. We think this proves that fuel cells are game changers, provided the industry takes up the challenge.

The Promise of Fuel Cells for a Cleaner Environment

Fuel cells have distinct similarities with batteries when we look closer,. They have positive and negative terminals, and an electrolyte separating them. At this point, the designs diverge. Fuel cells produce their energy from an electro chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, which are freely available everywhere.

Fuel cells produce clean renewable energy. Their only byproduct is water, unlike fossil fuel that churns out carbon. This is a distinct advantage over engines running on petroleum fuels, and batteries to an extent. The remaining question is the hydrogen itself, of which most is currently produced with fossil fuels as energy source.

If we can break this habit by using wind and solar, then fuel cells could become the game changers of the energy world. We say ‘could’, because old habits die-hard in the automotive world, with huge investments in conventional engines. So fuel cells are game changers yes in theory. But, how long do you do you think it would take, if ever, for them to dominate the energy world as this video predicts? Sure it’s a bit of an infomercial, but we think the ideas are huge.