After that you have to recharge. And this kind of technology just shifts the source of pollution from the automobile to the power plant. The fuel is being consumed at the power plant, and the consumer is plugging into a socket to charge the car. Datta says a real breakthrough will come through new technology based on fuel cells. The material that stores the energy is packed within a battery.
Fuel cells run on hydrogen gas, a blessing and a problem.
While hydrogen produces no exhaust emissions other than water, images of the Hindenberg dirigible explosion, still etched in the public's mind, are forever tied to on-board hydrogen fuel. Storage and refueling of hydrogen also present daunting problems. Therefore, part of fuel-cell research aims to discover how to produce hydrogen on demand from conventional liquid fuels. Everybody has bought into the concept, so it's almost certain in 15 or 20 years to become a viable transportation method. Research at WPI tackles fuel-cell technology from two angles.