Fuel-cell futures

Eager to find alternative-propulsion solutions, automakers are betting that renewed emphasis on fuel-cell vehicles will pay off in the long run, with the latest examples aiming to prove higher-volume production feasibility.

Hard work by engineers involved in fuel cells continues to eliminate many of the obstacles to the propulsion technology's everyday use in vehicles, which is permitting automakers to launch limited production of prototype models for testing.

The engineers are beavering away at the issues affecting practical use-tolerance for cold weather, startup time, power output, and driving range-with advances that have brought fuel cells to nearly the driving experience of vehicles using internal-combustion power.