Pollution Free Automobiles
...odes conduct electricity. A proton and an electron are produced when the hydrogen atom splits. They then make two different currents before returning to the cathode. After this is finished, hydrogen and oxygen make a water molecule. As mentioned earlier, the hydrogen can be split. A “fuel reformer” can take hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuel. This helps our environment because emissions are remarkably smaller than those from normal automobiles are. There are different types of fuel cells. The type of fuel cell that will be used the most is the Proton Exchange Membrane or the PEM. The temperature that this fuel cell can reach is about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Another cell is the Direct Methanol Fuel Cell or the DMFC. There are a few differences between the two. One is that instead of using hydrocarbon fuel to get hydrogen, the DMFC uses liquid methanol. In another words it does not need the fuel reformer. Its temperature can reach between 120 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. This fuel cell seems to be the most ideal out of the two. Just recently a zinc fuel cell was tested in a Geo Force sedan. The new cell, compared to normal car batteries, makes five times the amount of energy. If the automobile is equipped with both kinds of batteries it has three times more power than that of a battery powered electric vehicle. "This could someday enable zero-emission vehicles, with ranges of 300 miles or more, that consumers could safely refuel in a few minutes”. (Lee)This new kind of technology can help the environment immensely. Today vehicles use over %85 percent of imported oil. If some of the population were to use fuel celled cars, the US would only use %1...