Turkish Engineer Develops Eco-Friendly Fuel Cell

Ayşe Bayrakçeken Yurtcan (AA Photo)

A Turkish chemical engineer has developed an environmentally-friendly fuel cell that can power a vehicle for 450 kilometers (280 miles) after just five minutes of fueling ““ a new competitor for the lithium batteries traditionally used to power electric vehicles. The new cell, developed from nano materials, is the creation of Ayşe Bayrakçeken Yurtcan, a faculty member at Atatürk University in eastern Turkey’s Erzurum province. “Lithium batteries have a charge time of 30 minutes to 12 hours, with a charge lasting about 240 kilometers (150 miles). The fuel cell we have produced can travel about 480 kilometers (280 miles) on a five-minute fill-up,” Yurtcan told Anadolu Agency in a special feature for the U.N.’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science celebrated annually on Feb. 11. Yurtcan, who has been a faculty member at Atatürk University for 16 years, said the research project was the product of an effort by Turkey’s Ministry of Development to create a fuel-based energy cell.