Fuel cell

Also called: FCEV · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

A fuel cell is a device that turns the chemical energy of hydrogen straight into electricity. Hydrogen combines with oxygen from the air inside the cell, and the only by-products are water and heat. Nothing is burnt and no CO₂ comes out at the point of use. A vehicle that runs on electricity from a fuel cell is called a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Fuel cells matter because they let hydrogen, an energy carrier (something that stores and delivers energy but is not itself a source of it), power heavy transport and supply clean electricity. How clean they really are depends on how the hydrogen was made.

Example

In November 2024, NTPC started a green hydrogen mobility project at Leh, 3,650 m above sea level. It runs 5 buses and has a fuelling station. Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, the road-transport pilots that began in March 2025 use 37 vehicles: 15 FCEVs and 22 that burn hydrogen in an engine.

Don't confuse with

• Electrolysis: This is the reverse process. Electrolysis uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. A fuel cell recombines them to give electricity back, and some energy is lost at each step.
• Battery (BEV): A battery stores electricity and gives it back directly. A fuel cell makes electricity on the spot from hydrogen fuel. Battery vehicles use electricity more efficiently, so the case for fuel cells is strongest in heavy transport.

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• Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy