Applications for Fuel Cells

Although it may be awhile before fuel-cell vehicles become cost effective, vehicles with internal-combustion (IC) engines that run on hydrogen are nothing new. The original four-stroke engines designed by Nicolas Otto in the 19th century ran quite well on gaseous hydrogen.

Recent cars with hydrogen IC engines include the Ford Model U concept car, the BMW 745h, and the BMW prototype Mini. The Ford and Mini run on hydrogen. The BMW runs on either gasoline or hydrogen with the flip of a switch.