Electrochemical power sources. 2. Fuel cells and supercapacitors

Abstract

Motor-vehicle industry is presently pursuing technologies capable of eliminating emissions with higher fuel-efficiencies. Fuel cells and more recently, electrochemical supercapacitors have been found to be attractive options for electric vehicled. Fuel cells convert the chimical energy of a fuel directly into dc electricity with fuel efficiencies higher than the conventional internal-combustion engines. Supercapacitors store electrochemical energy densities, they can provide higher power densities than those achievable with rechargeable batteries. This article provides a brief description of the six generic types of fuel cells and the supercapacitors.