2006 Volume 75 Issue 8 Pages 975-981
From the points of view of environmental protection and the effective use of energy resources, the replacement of combustion engines by hybrid systems is now progressing rapidly in the field of automobile technology. Furthermore, in the long term, the realization of fuel cell vehicles is expected; therefore, the research and development of secondary batteries and fuel cells have been accelerated. Since these breakthroughs depend on the evolution of energy materials, cooperation and competitiveness, including those of material suppliers, coexist. On the other hand, the commercialization of fuel cells in the field of mobile systems will be demanded owing to the need for the increase in usage time. The cost reduction of fuel cells for mobile use is more realistic compared with that for automobile use, so fuel cells for mobile use are expected to be commercialized within two years.
