The future of electric cars? Running fuel cells on biodiesel
A smart diesel reformer and a tolerant fuel cell are the core components of a new type of electric power supply unit. Environmentally friendly and flexible, the unit could be a serious contender in the market for generators in electric vehicles and other applications. The power supply unit can run on biodiesel as well as regular diesel. In trials, a 200-W solid-acid fuel cell ran on both pure hydrogen and on hydrogen produced from diesel by the unit’s reformer – with only an insignificant difference in performance. The silent electric generator is being developed and produced by the Norwegian company Nordic Power Systems (NPS). The California firm SAFCell Inc. is developing and will deliver the new type of fuel cell. Also on the team is the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The testing of this combination of two advanced technologies is now underway, thanks to funding under the Research Council...