It’s the fuel of the future

Let’s talk about fuel cells

Imagine an electric car that could be fueled as quickly as a gasoline powered car. A generator that could lie dormant for years without any damage to the system, making it ideal for backup power applications. An engine that could achieve a higher energy conversion efficiency because it relies on electrochemistry to generate power and not combustion.

Yeah, imagine. Wouldn’t it be fantastic? It would justify the $20B valuation of the fuel cell market.

1966 GM Electrovan is credited with being the first hydrogen fuel cell car ever produced. The project was scrapped because it was cost-prohibitive. It now sits in a museum in LA.

Fuel cells have been around for forever. A laundry list of who’s who in the technology space, including GM, Hyundai, BMW, Toshiba, Toyota, Panasonic, Siemens, Shell, Samsung, etc. have all invested in fuel-cells. They’re a hot item in luxury cars too, like the Toyota Mirai and the Honda Clarity. Recently, the industry added Amazon to its list of investors, when Amazon invested $70M into Plug Power, another fuel cell startup. Fuel cells are supposed to be “the next big thing.”

The thing is, fuel cells are supposed to have been “the next big thing” for half a century.

“It’s the fuel of the future, and always will be” —…