Better fuel cells for long-haul trucks and planes

Hydrogen fuel cells are considered a promising zero-emission solution for heavy-duty, long-haul trucking and aviation because they offer high energy density, quick refueling times, and weigh significantly less than regular electric batteries. They make electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction.

A new study by scientists in Canada and Germany has found that designing fuel cells with gravity in mind can help address one of the major challenges facing this renewable energy option.

Eric Chadwick, a researcher with the University of Toronto and the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Germany, was lead author on the paper. His group used the Canadian Light Source (CLS) at the University of Saskatchewan to study fuel cells in operation.

“The issue is that fuel cells produce liquid water as a by-product of their operation” says Chadwick. “It starts to impede the reactant gases (hydrogen and oxygen) from reaching the reactant sites in the fuel cell.”

The buildup of liquid water eventually prevents the cell from working; this is especially problematic in the larger fuel cells that will be required to power large trucks and airplanes.

The team discovered that fuel cell performance can be significantly improved by leveraging gravity to facilitate the removal of liquid water from the cell. The team was able to visualize this water removal using X-ray radiographic imaging at the CLS.

“The CLS gave us the hard X-rays that we need to distinguish between water, air and our solid parts of the fuel cell. It gives good enough contrast between the water and the other components so you can see what is happening in the cell,” he explained.

Chadwick says this work lays the foundation for further research on how best to design the larger, higher-powered fuel cells that will be useful in a world shifting toward renewable energy sources.

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Chadwick, Eric A., Beste Derebaşı, Volker P. Schulz, and Aimy Bazylak. "Influence of gravity on water management and mass transport losses in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells." Scientific Reports 15, no. 1 (2025): 39380. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-09067-y

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