This past summer, a commercial passenger ferry powered by a hydrogen fuel cell set sail in the San Francisco Bay. The nation’s first fuel cell-powered ferry, the ship heralds the reality of zero-emission options for our nation’s vast and varied transportation sector.
Fuel cells are the technology by which we convert hydrogen to useful, emission-free electricity — a crucial part of decarbonizing as a society. Harnessing hydrogen’s power could transform the way we travel and live. But from the perspective of design and affordability, challenges confront fuel cell technology that are hard to overcome.