Fueling the fuel cell

Hydrogen is the main ingredient in the fuel cell's diet, but deciding how best to deliver it to the electrochemical power-generation device is a tricky business.

In what some see as the dawn of the fuel-cell age, a fundamental question has emerged: is gasoline-reformer, methanol-reformer, or hydrogen-storage technology best suited for feeding the electricity-making device that many see as key to the automobile's long-term viability?

Paul Lancaster of the Canadian firm Ballard Power Systems Inc. believes such a debate is key in making companies collaborate rather than forge ahead in their own direction.