Alternative Fuels

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Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Vehicles

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This page is under development. For additional information, be sure to refer to the Additional Resources below.

Hydrogen gas is expected to play a significant role as a sustainable transportation fuel option, as hydrogen can be produced in virtually unlimited quantities using renewable resources. Hydrogen is being used to power internal combustion engine automobiles, most commonly as a hydrogen/natural gas blend. Hydrogen is also being used se of hydrogen as fuel for fuel cell vehicles. 

Fuel cells operate similar to batteries, but do not run down or require recharging. An external source of hydrogen (either hydrogen itself or hydrogen derived from natural gas, alcohol fuels or gasoline) and oxygen are fed to the fuel cell and electrochemically combined to produce energy in the form of electricity.  A fuel cell system fueled directly by hydrogen creates no by-products or emissions other than heat and a small amount of water. However, the formulation of hydrogen from natural gas, alcohol fuels, gasoline or other source does produce emissions, requires a significant amount of energy and is currently expensive.

Additional Resources:

The U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program provides additional information about hydrogen and fuel cells, including details on current research and demonstration programs and links to additional resources.

Learn more about hydrogen production methods from the Hydrogen, Fuel Cells, and Infrastructure Technologies Program Web site's Hydrogen Basics page.

Alternative Fuels Data Center  AFDC provides additional information on hydrogen and fuel cells and has more than 3,000 documents available. Resources include searching for topics of interest, an interactive alternative fuel refueling site mapping system, listings of available alternative fuel vehicles, program information, and links to numerous related sites. 

FreedomCAR is a government-industry program for the advancement of high-efficiency vehicles, focusing on fuel cells and hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. FreedomCAR’s long-term goal is to develop technologies for hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars and trucks that will require no foreign oil and emit no harmful pollutants or greenhouse gases. The website provides additional information on hydrogen and fuel cell technology, as well as links to additional sources of information.

California Fuel Cell Partnership is a unique collaborative of auto manufacturers, energy companies, fuel cell technology companies, and government agencies working to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell technology and develop economical fuel cell vehicles.  The website provides detailed information about the Partnership, hydrogen, fuel cells and much more.  

Documents to Download:

• Just the Basics: Fuel Cells   Prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy, this short fact sheet provides information on how fuel cells work, emissions benefits, and problems to be overcome.  
• Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Resource Guide   Provides information on industry associates, available databases, state programs, utility incentives, funding incentives, periodicals, vehicle manufacturers, and much more.  Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy by Information Resources, Inc. under a contract with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.