Review of prospects for adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles in New Zealand

New Zealand's (NZ) thirst for hydrocarbon‐based fuels for transportation is rising exponentially, resulting in two severe consequences: first, severe emissions of greenhouse gases and a range of pollutants, and second, the dependence on foreign petroleum imports to provide those fuels. Thus there is a stimulus to develop, and to utilise, energy systems that are reliable and sustainable. The implementation of the hydrogen‐based fuel cell (FC) system for electric vehicles (EVs) appears to be a promising solution because the FC is now established as a reliable, non‐polluting energy source, having a high power density that competes favourably with the conventional internal combustion (IC) engine and the battery vehicle. This study provides a comprehensive review of the proton exchange membrane (PEM)‐based FC, and assesses its potential in FC vehicles as an alternative to internal‐combustion‐based vehicles for NZ cities. The study indicates a need for FCs to penetrate the automotive market, plus key government and business strategies for the introduction of PEM EVs.