With environmental concerns a hot topic across the globe,
vehicles powered by a hydrogen fuel system are the latest
technology to hit our roads, and one that shows great promise
for the future. Because they operate in a very different way
from traditional internal combustion engines, there is a lot of
confusion about how exactly they work and why they are so
popular. How Fuel Cells Work Unlike electric engines such as
those found in the Prius Hybrid, which are powered by heavy
rechargeable battery packs, a fuel cell vehicle generates its
energy on the fly. Known officially as the polymer exchange
membrane fuel cell, this version of fuel cell converts hydrogen
and oxygen into water, generating electricity in the process. A
fuel cell is composed of four parts: an anode, cathode, proton
exchange membrane (PEM), and catalyst. The proton exchange
membrane is a material similar to plastic wrap, that is
specially treated to only conduct positively charged ions. This
layer forms the center of the fuel cell sandwich a