Fuel Cells

[SKULL]

I read an Article posted on ZeroHedge that was Military based, but an interesting part of the Article was the development of a new Chinese Drone. The development was that the Drone used a Hydrogen Fuel Cell & that it could remain aloft for 30 hrs.

The interesting part was that it was an advance in Fuel Cell technology using Platinum that made the endurance of the Drone possible. I wasn't aware of Platinum's use in fuel cell technology so I did a quick researched & found this interesting article.

Energy transition to trigger huge growth in platinum for hydrogen​

04 September 2023
Platinum will be key to making clean hydrogen technologies competitive – but the rush to acquire it is set to pile pressure on limited supplies. There are various types of electrolyzer's on the market today, but according to the IEA, hydrogen project developers are increasingly favoring proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis, which is more efficient than alternatives such as alkaline electrolysis. Many PEM electrolyzer's use platinum to make extremely high-performance catalysts.

Energy transition to trigger huge growth in platinum for hydrogen

Platinum will be key to making clean hydrogen technologies competitive – but the rush to acquire it is set to pile pressure on limited supplies.

www.ief.org

If this technology keeps advancing, it would indicate a growing industrial demand for Platinum that would support increased prices, as supply is in deficit this year & is projected to be in deficit for at least the next 3 years.

 

[STKR]

Right as the demand from Internal Combustion Engines decline. Many manufacturers and governments plan to cease production of ICE engines within the next 10 years (I think that's a bit ambitious). The question is: Will the demand for platinum group metals in hydrogen fuel cells offset the decline in demand from catalytic converters in Internal Combustion Engines?

We'd really need to understand how much platinum or Palladium is used in a hydrogen fuel cell vs a catalytic converter. Then we'd need to look at the projected market share of hydrogen powered vehicles vs electric. I'm not convinced demand for platinum group metals will exceed current demand at all... In fact, we could even see a decline over the years as EVs become more feasible and economical with the introduction of solid state batteries and other technologies.

 

[SKULL]

Right as the demand from Internal Combustion Engines decline. Many manufacturers and governments plan to cease production of ICE engines within the next 10 years (I think that's a bit ambitious). The question is: Will the demand for platinum group metals in hydrogen fuel cells offset the decline in demand from catalytic converters in Internal Combustion Engines?

We'd really need to understand how much platinum or Palladium is used in a hydrogen fuel cell vs a catalytic converter. Then we'd need to look at the projected market share of hydrogen powered vehicles vs electric. I'm not convinced demand for platinum group metals will exceed current demand at all... In fact, we could even see a decline over the years as EVs become more feasible and economical with the introduction of solid state batteries and other technologies.

U make some very good points, especially about Unknown Demand.

I have thought occasionally to buy Platinum, but then all those future unknowns creep into the back of my mind

So I buy a bit more Silver because it has a known Industrial Demand & continuing Structural Supply Deficits.

I sleep better with less unknowns in the back of my mind

 

[STKR]

U make some very good points, especially about Unknown Demand.

I have thought occasionally to buy Platinum, but then all those future unknowns creep into the back of my mind

So I buy a bit more Silver because it has a known Industrial Demand & continuing Structural Supply Deficits.

I sleep better with less unknowns in the back of my mind

I just never liked the majority of platinum group metal demand came from the automotive industry. Silver has so many use cases that when demand declines in one area (like photography) it's picked up in other areas (like solar panels). It's so useful and versatile that it's necessity has been locked in for our lifetimes.