Fuel Cell Technology

[CrONoS]

What do you think of this technology? (Fuel Cell) And your tought about the future of fuel cell technology?

And about a company called Ballard Power Systems? http://www.ballard.com/

Thank you

Edit: Do not point me wikipedia or google, I've already look over, I want opinions of polytubbies.

[DanS]

Fuel cells are good for certain applications, but I doubt that we will end up with a fuel cell in every car, for example. A friend of mine is an engineer on buses powered by fuel cells and they seem to require a lot of maintenance at this stage of the technology.

Ballard is a leader in the fuel cell business and has its hand in lots of projects. It is well respected and is more well known than its modest sales figures normally would engender. As I recall, Ballard recently pushed hard into the small electricity cogeneration market. Don't know how well they've done with that.

If you're looking for a job there, I would guess that it's a good business to get into, if you are willing to live with the vagaries of working for an up-and-down industrial technology company. It's a small Canadian company that has a profile internationally -- or in the US at least.

If you're looking to invest in the company, I would make sure that your portfolio is very well diversified before venturing there.

Good luck.

[Impaler[WrG]]

Fuel cells may ultimatly see many uses but will not replace the internal combustion engine. The senario will be a bit like Incandecent, Floresent and LED lights. Incandecents are argreed to be old wastfull and doomed, Floresents are better but slow to be adopted because their only slightly better and very expensive. Floresents begin slowly replacing Incandecents but then sudenly LED's arive and put Floresents to shame. The LED's rapidly the new new thing and are floresents are old, the LED's go on to eventualy replace everything and become ubiquitous.

Thats my prediction with the following substitutions
Incandecant = Internal Combustion Engine
Floresent = Fuelcell and Hydrogen
LED = Ultra Capacitors and full electic drive

[KrazyHorse]

What a ****ty analogy.

[Impaler[WrG]]

What a ****ty analogy.

What a ****ty rebutal. You can do better

[KrazyHorse]

Fluorescents have been in large-scale institutional use for 40 years, and do not represent a significant fixed cost when lifetime is factored in.

And to you for forcing me to type that.

[DRoseDARs]

[Impaler[WrG]]

Thats my point Floresents despite their advantages have not suplanted Incandecents despite a strong push from environment groups, LED's in a much shorter time have been adopted much faster and are look set to truly wipe out Incandecents and become the ubiquitous light source.

The analogy is that Fuel cells will see some nitch use but will not become ubiquitous, rather full electric drive trains powered by advanced ultracapacitors and other "on the horizon" technologies will ultimatly replace both but probably not for 30 years or more.

P.S. Egotistic people who think that a request to explain themselves is some how beheith them.

[BeBMan]

U 212 type subs make use of fuel cells.

[Ecthy]

I once knew a lot about fuel cells, but that was state of the art of the mid to late 90s.

[Proteus_MST]

I think fuel cell powered cars or trains might see widespread use in the near future.
Especially if the prices for fossil fuels go up and therefore cars/trains with fuel cells cost less per driven mile than cars/trains powered by fossil fuels.