The technology will permit near zero emissions and high fuel efficiency.
Fuel cells generate electricity through an electro-chemical process.
The by-products of this process are water vapor and heat. The Arthur Little system produces negligible amounts of sulfur and nitrogen oxides and less than half the amount of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas compared to internal combustion engines. Fuel cells were first used aboard American spacecraft in the 1960s. Ballard Power Systems of Vancouver, B.C. has developed a similar system that makes use of methanol, natural gas or hydrogen. Arthur D Little Corporation envisions the use of their design in home power systems in addition to automobiles, permitting cheap, clean and quiet generation of electricity in a compact device.