Goodbye, Gasoline: The Science of Fuel Cells

Lew, Kristi. Goodbye, Gasoline: The Science of Fuel Cells. 2009. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7565-3521-6. Available at 621.31 LEW on the library shelves.

The recent push for reducing the world’s carbon footprint is leading towards the invention and refining of existing technologies to both improve performance and reduce their environmental impact. Gasoline, the liquid that powers today’s cars and trucks, has not changed in the last several decades. And though vehicles get better gas mileage now than they did even ten years ago, gasoline still remains a polluting and non-renewable resource. It this therefore time to move beyond gasoline.

Several technologies are competing to be the next motor of the economy, but none are as promising as the fuel cell. Based on combining hydrogen and oxygen, and resulting in water, the power that comes from combining these two elements is enough to power today’s car, trucks, and even buildings.

There are several problems that remain, however, before fuel cells become the future of transportation. First, the size of the cells continue to be a problem. Second, the lack of an hydrogen infrastructure such as fueling stations and processing centers continue to be a detriment to the rapid spread of this technology. Finally, costs continue to be higher than conventional gasoline engines.

Nevertheless, this short book accurately presents the current state of fuel cells and how, in the near future, they should revolutionize how we consume energy. Only time will tell if the predictions come true (still waiting for that flying car), but fuel cells are a promising type of technology.