To get his plan moving, though, Faris will begin in a more modest way: by making small fuel cell systems for powering electric scooters in Southeast Asia [figure]. If successful, these fuel cells could go a long way toward cleaning up the air in that part of the world, where scooters and motorbikes powered by highly polluting two-stroke engines are the most common form of motorized transport.
In choosing electric vehicles as the principal application of his fuel cells, Faris is bucking a trend. Most fuel-cell manufacturers agree that while EVs will eventually be an excellent application for fuel cells, that market will not materialize for years.
A more immediate application for metal-based fuel cells is as backup and emergency electricity sources to replace generators driven by internal combustion engines. As Jeff Colborn, president and chief executive officer of Metallic Power…
Metal Fuel Cells – IEEE Spectrum
