Technical and Economic Feasibility of a Solid Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Powerplant for Automotive Applications

Based on recent progress in the state-of-the art of fuel cell technology a preliminary design study has recently been completed, which assessed the feasibility of using a solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell in an automotive application. Through the incorporation of several innovative system design features, a powerplant design concept was achieved which met or exceeded the specification goals in all areas. In addition, avenues of development were identified which could result in significant reductions in the production costs of the fuel cell modules which could bring them into the range of economic viability.

The system design concept is described, together with the economic analysis of the potential production costs for large quantity production rates.