bloom energy boxes

[lemur]

http://techcrunch.com/2010/02/22/bloom-energy-boxes/

 

Supposedly, these small boxes somehow convert hydrocarbon fuel, natural gas I think the article says, into electricity. Apparently they are not suitable for vehicle applications, for some reason, though. If they were, could fuel be used to directly power electric motors to reduce battery weight while increasing the efficiency of gasoline or other fuels in transportation applications?

 

How can chemical potential be converted directly in to electricity?

[Pantaz]

It's just another electro-chemical fuel cell. The company describes it as, "... designed to be stacked into small blocks and housed in a unit about the size of a refrigerator."