The electric car has been around since the 1830s, eventually becoming a practical transportation choice in the late 1800s after improvements in battery storage capacity . The electric car peaked in the early 1990s. However, its popularity was short-lived; In 1935, the electric car had become rare, replaced by gasoline vehicles. The reasons for this change are that the electric car could not travel long distances without recharging due to the limited storage capacities of the batteries, that it was faster to refuel a gasoline car than to recharge a car electric, and finally, the mass production of the gasoline car has declined. its price significantly compared to the electric car. Today, conventional gasoline vehicles are still preferred over electric cars, but advances in hydrogen fuel cell technology are making the possibility of owning a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car more feasible and highlighting the benefits other electric cars. In the following paragraphs, the operation of the Ballard fuel cell is explained, the challenges of implementing a fuel cell system are discussed, and finally, the possible social and environmental effects of electric cars are explored. The fuel cell manufactured by Ballard Power Systems is a fuel cell that requires hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity. The fuel cell itself consists of two flow field plates and two thin catalyst sheets with a polymer electrolyte membrane or proton exchange membrane (PEM) in between (see Figure 1). Hydrogen is introduced through one plate and oxygen is collected from the air through another, on each side of the membrane. Among the two electrodes is the anode and the other is the cathode. Hydrogen reaches ano...... middle of paper ......ehicles.htmBellis, M. History of electric vehicles: decline and rise of electric cars from 1930 to 1990. (nd). Retrieved March 31, 2012 from http://inventors.about.com/od/estartinventions/a/Electric-Vehicles.htm (March 6, 2008). Ballard Fuel Cell Technology. Retrieved March 31, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sncuy89bjCcHow Fuel Cells Work. (nd). Retrieved March 31, 2012 from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_pem.shtmlChallenges. (nd) Retrieved March 31, 2012 from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fcv_challenges.shtml Lombardi, C. (April 27, 2011). Study: Electric cars, hybrids too expensive for most. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20057942-54.htmlHow a Fuel Cell Works. (nd). Accessed March 31, 2012, from http://www.ballard.com/about-ballard/fuel-cell-education-resources/how-a-fuel-cell-works.aspx