Advantages of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells for tractionary applications

Our recent achievements suggest that intermediate temperature (IT) solid ox ide fuel cells (SOFCs) can become a strong competitor not only for stationa ry power generation, but also for tractionary applications, e.g. for electr ical (hybrid) vehicles. These ITSOFCs are based on ceria-salt composite cer amic materials. These new ceria-based composite ceramic materials have show n a super ionic conductivity (0.1-1.0 S cm(-1)) in the IT region (400-600 d egreesC). Using them as the electrolytes the ITSOFCs are operated between 3 00 and 1500 mA cm(-2) (200-700 mW cm(-2)) continuously between 400 and 600 degreesC. The opportunities and advantages of these new advanced ITSOFCs fo r electrical vehicle applications are discussed. The high efficiency ITSOFC s fed directly with hydrocarbon containing gas-type and liquid-type fuels h ave shown an enormous potential for application in electrical vehicles. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.