Advantages of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells for tractionary applications

Our recent achievements suggest that intermediate temperature (IT) solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can become a strong competitor not only for stationary power generation, but also for tractionary applications, e.g. for electrical (hybrid) vehicles. These ITSOFCs are based on ceria-salt composite ceramic materials. These new ceria-based composite ceramic materials have shown a super ionic conductivity (0.1–1.0 S cm−1) in the IT region (400–600°C). Using them as the electrolytes the ITSOFCs are operated between 300 and 1500 mA cm−2 (200–700 mW cm−2) continuously between 400 and 600°C. The opportunities and advantages of these new advanced ITSOFCs for electrical vehicle applications are discussed. The high efficiency ITSOFCs fed directly with hydrocarbon containing gas-type and liquid-type fuels have shown an enormous potential for application in electrical vehicles.