Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

BMW unvieled a new fuel cell car this week. Is anyone here invested in platinum and how do you anticipate this change in technology affecting prices of the metal?

Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

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Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

From my (limited) research platinum is preferred over palladium because it brings about electrolysis in a more timely or efficient manner. They are worried that there isn't enough platitinum to go around at the moment (for all the cars in use) but don't forget that the #1 consumer of that metal is in catalytic converters which won't be required on a fuel cell car.

Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

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Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

So, time to back the truck up an buy platinum and palladium? Even if platinum isn't used for fuel cells it's so limited and has such wonderful conductive properties that it's bound to remain useful.

Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

The BMW release is a car that actually burns hydrogen in a re-carbed gasoline engine, not fuel cell powered. No Pt needed (unless it still needs a catalytic converter).

So (on the margin) natural gas will be combusted and turned into electricity to make hydrogen for combustion. :wazzup_sg

Hydrogen does burn cleaner than gasoline and natural gas, but remember the natural gas is still burned (on the margin) or even worse-coal for the electricity to make the hydrogen.

Re: Platinum and Fuel Cells
 

I know that the BMW is not a fuel cell car -- but, it's a step in that direction. It's meant to run on both petrol and other forms of combustion so that the car won't be stranded until the hydrogen infrastructure takes shape.