Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fuel cell/ˈfjuːəl sel/ | An electrochemical device that converts the chemical energy of a continuously supplied fuel and oxidant into electricity. |
| water/ˈwɔːtə/ | water |
| energy/ˈenədʒi/ | The capacity to do work or cause change. |
A cell that runs on hydrogen
- A fuel cell 燃料电池 makes electricity from hydrogen gas.
- It is not an engine — nothing burns inside it.
- Instead, hydrogen and oxygen combine chemically.
- That reaction pushes out an electric current.
Only water comes out
- Hydrogen flows in one side; oxygen from the air enters the other.
- They combine to make electricity — and pure water 水.
- The exhaust is water vapour, not smoke or CO2.
- So a fuel-cell car drips water from its tailpipe.
A hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell makes electricity, with water as the only product
The only waste from a hydrogen fuel cell is…
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A fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, leaving only water — no CO2 at the vehicle.
The hidden catch
- Hydrogen gas is not lying around — it must be made.
- Making it takes energy 能量, often from fossil fuels.
- If that energy is dirty, the CO2 just moves upstream.
- Hydrogen is only truly clean if made with renewable power.
How a hydrogen fuel cell works
Follow hydrogen and oxygen combining into electricity, with only water left over.
A fuel cell makes electricity by…
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A fuel cell is not an engine — it combines hydrogen and oxygen chemically to push out an electric current.
Whether hydrogen is truly clean depends on how the ____ used to make it was produced.
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Making hydrogen takes energy; if that comes from fossil fuels, the CO2 just moves upstream.
Where it fits
- Fuel cells are quiet, efficient, and clean at the point of use.
- They can power cars, buses, and buildings.
- But hydrogen is hard to store and the fuel cells are costly.
- So they are a promising but still-developing technology.
A hydrogen fuel-cell car gives off carbon dioxide from its tailpipe.
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False. A fuel-cell car emits only water from its tailpipe. Any pollution comes from how the hydrogen is produced.
Select all true statements about hydrogen fuel cells.
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Fuel cells emit only water and use no burning — but producing the hydrogen can still pollute if fossil energy is used.
"Zero-emission" is only half the story. A fuel-cell car really does emit only water. But hydrogen has to be manufactured, and that step takes energy. Make the hydrogen with coal power and you've just moved the CO2 from the car to the factory. The technology is clean; whether the whole system is clean depends on the energy source.
Two hydrogen cars:
- Both drip only water from the tailpipe as they drive — genuinely clean on the road.
- But one was fuelled with hydrogen split using solar electricity — clean end to end.
- The other's hydrogen was made using coal power — so its CO2 was simply released back at the plant. Same car, very different footprint.
A hydrogen fuel cell combines hydrogen and oxygen to make electricity, emitting only water — no burning, no CO2 at the vehicle. The catch: making the hydrogen takes energy, so it is only truly clean if that energy is renewable. Fuel cells are clean and quiet but costly and still developing.