Fuel Cells — A Realistic Alternative for Zero Emission?

For several decades, OEMs have dreamed of making zero-emission vehicles a reality – needing only a breakthrough in fuel cell technology. This dream finally seems to be within their grasp as the first market-ready vehicles roll off the production line, and OEMs have committed to considerable volumes for the coming years. While fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) represent an attractive alternative to battery electric vehicles in meeting the CO2 challenge, the costs of a fuel cell system are still estimated at a hefty €45,000. A major share of those costs (~35-45 %) is made up by the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). As the MEA also forms the technical heart of the fuel cell, it is a subject worth of detailed investigation. The MEA converts hydrogen into electrical energy and consists of a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM), preciousmetal catalyst layers and gas diffusion layers. Bringing these three components together is relatively simple; however, manufacturing the individual components is not. Synthesising the PEM in particular is complex and costly. Our analysis shows that in a scenario of 300,000 FCEVs produced annually, a single MEA would cost € 7/unit. Costs are dominated by material costs, stemming from the special polymer required (€ 125/kg) and the platinum-based catalyst layer (€ 2,500/kg). Improvements in the MEA could potentially reduce costs to € 3/unit, or € 1,000/vehicle for the entire MEA system. An optimistic future scenario shows both MEA and fuel cell system costs dropping by a further 80 % to approximately € 9,000/vehicle, although not for at least another decade from today. Despite this huge drop, it is doubtful whether this technology will be able to compete with enhanced battery technologies on cost. This scenario also assumes a significant decrease in the platinum load, down to less than 10 g/vehicle. Once this is achieved, the scenario forecasts annual production of 5 mn FCEVs, forcing demand for platinum up significantly to a level difficult to meet at today’s prices. Fuel cell technology offers significant