Fuel Cell or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

  • A fuel cell is a device that generates electricity by a chemical reaction.
  • Every fuel cell has two electrodes called, respectively, the anode and cathode. The reactions that produce electricity take place at the electrodes.


  • Every fuel cell also has an electrolyte, which carries electrically charged particles from one electrode to the other, and a catalyst, which speeds the reactions at the electrodes.
  • Hydrogen is the basic fuel, but fuel cells also require oxygen as oxidizing agent.
  • One great appeal of fuel cells is that they generate electricity with very little pollution–much of the hydrogen and oxygen used in generating electricity ultimately combine to form a harmless byproduct, namely water.

  • Fuel cells are different from most batteries in requiring a continuous source of fuel and oxygen (usually from air) to sustain the chemical reaction, whereas in a battery the chemical energy usually comes from metals and their ions or oxides that are commonly already present in the battery,except in flow batteries. Fuel cells can produce electricity continuously for as long as fuel and oxygen are supplied. (Means they do not require charging like battery-powered EVs.)

Disadvantages

  • Process of making hydrogen needs energy, often from fossil fuel 
  • More explosive than petrol.
  • vehicles are expensive and fuel dispensing pumps are scarce

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