There are three types of experimental vehicle (EVs) propulsion technologies on the
currently being tested. Batteries are currently the most popular power source for modern
EVs but they are by no means the only available technology. A number of alternatives are
under development and they, too, are well positioned to rival batteries as an effective EV
Some of the most recent and exciting news in electric-vehicle development has centered
around a new power source, called the fuel cell.
The fuel cell utilizes a special membrane to generate electricity through the controlled
reaction between hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Unlike batteries, which store electricity
rather than generate it, fuel cells actually produce electricity through a controlled
chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
Inside a fuel cell, the two elements are fed to opposite sides of a porous membrane. As
hydrogen atoms pass through the pores, they are stripped of their electrons. This results
in a negative charge on the membrane's hydrogen side and a positive charge on the
oxygen side. Stacking fuel cells in series produces enough power to operate a vehicle.
Unfortunately, there is a downside to this innovative system-hydrogen is extremely
volatile. It is also difficult to store and unavailable at local filling stations. Chrysler
Corporation is currently working on a fuel cell that eliminates some of these obstacles,
notably storage and inconvenience. Their efforts may make fuel cells a viable option in
One of Chrysler's plans is to use small amounts of gasoline in fuel cells. Doing so would
eliminate the dangerous proposition of storing hydrogen onboard an EV before
converting it to electricity. A series of reaction chambers in the system would convert the
gasoline to hydrogen as needed, and carbon monoxide-produced as a
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