Fuel cells for road transportation purposes - yes or no?

The issues surrounding the application of fuel cells for road transportatio n are evaluated. The advantages and disadvantages of the candidate fuel-cel l systems and the various fuels are discussed, together with the issue of w hether the fuel should be converted directly in the fuel cell or should be first converted to hydrogen on-board the vehicle. Developments in competing vehicles technologies, namely, internal-combustion-engined vehicles (ICEVs ), pure-battery vehicles (EVs) and ICE-battery hybrid vehicles (HEVs) are r eviewed. Finally, the impact of the introduction of fuel-cell vehicles (FCV s) on industry, and in particular on the oil and automotive industries, is examined. For FCVs to compete successfully with conventional ICEVs, it is c oncluded that direct-conversion fuel cells - using probably hydrogen, but p ossibly methanol - are the only realistic contenders for road transportatio n applications. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.