Best in brief: Fuelling the cars of tomorrow

Glenn A. Mercer and Lance A. Ealey

Discusses the advantages fuel cells could give over the combustion engine, and reasons why a move to fuel-cell technology in the car market through market forces is unlikely (cost and worries about reliability, lack of infrastructure).

Best in Brief

McKinsey Quarterly: Fuelling the cars of tomorrow

Lance A. EaleyandGlenn A. Mercer

Fuel cells have a number of advantages over the combustion engine. In converting hydrogen and air into electricity and water, they are clean at the exhaust and use fewer resources along the whole chain, from production of the fuel to the running of the car. Whereas the combustion engine emits greenhouse gases and drives an alternator to meet electrical needs, incurring parasitic losses in efficiency, a fuel cell emits no carbon dioxide and the electricity is directly used to power the motors and...

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