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Hydrogen Fuel cell Van
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Zinc Air Fuel Cell Bus

Applications

Model hydrogen fuel-cell car

Image Map

Image Map - Learn more by clicking on the parts of the car

Solar Cell

  • Solar batteries convert sunlight to electricity
  • This solar battery produces 1.5 volts when exposed to bright light
  • The solar cell provides electricity to the fuel cell, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen.

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Hydrogen Fuel Cell

  • Fuel Cells create energy by recombining hydrogen and oxygen.
  • The only waste produced by fuel cells is water vapor and heat.
  • This fuel cell acts as the generator for the car.
  • Power from the solar battery flows through the fuel cell creating hydrogen and oxygen.

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Fuel Tanks

  • Tanks act as storage for fuel.
  • This tank stores hydrogen and oxygen created by the fuel cell and solar battery.
  • The hydrogen tank (right) is twice as big as the oxygen tank (left).
  • H2O -> 2H+O

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Electric Motor

  • The electric motor converts energy into motion.
  • The motor can also act as a generator, converting motion into energy.
  • This electric motor runs on 1.5 volts, and is the minimum size to pull the car.

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Electric Car

  • This Baker Electric car was built in the early 1900s
  • The car could travel 60 to 100 miles at 25 to 30 miles per hour
  • Electric cars dissapeared for 80 years, due to cheap gas prices

(photograph:Popular Mechanics, June 1967)

  • Experimental car was designed and built by MIT

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Hydrogen fuel cell van

(photograph:Popular Mechanics, June 1967)

  • This car, designed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, runs off zinc-air fuel cells.
  • Besides having no waste, the fuel cells can be refilled in under 10 minutes, opposed to the 8 hours spent charging normal batteries.
  • The bus has a 250 mile range and can travel at highway speeds.
  • The battery mixes zinc pellets in a solution of potassium hydroxide.

Zinc air fuel cell bus

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