The disclosure relates to a body structure element for increasing the stiffness and/or the crash performance of a body structure of a vehicle, comprising a first channel for a first gas flow with a first gas feed line and a first gas discharge line and comprising means for introducing moisture into the first gas stream. The disclosure relates, in other words, to the functional integration of a humidifier for a fuel cell system into a body structure element and preferably the functional integration of a humidifier for a fuel cell system into crash performance increasing element, in particular, an extrusion profile, and a body structural element. The disclosure also relates to a fuel cell system with a humidifier integrated into a body structure element and a vehicle with such a fuel cell system and/or such a body structure element.

The disclosure relates to a fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack for providing an electrical power P.sub.stack depending on a power demand, at least one auxiliary unit for operating the fuel cell stack with an electrical power consumption P.sub.aux, at least one consumer with an electrical power request P.sub.use, and a control unit for regulating the power demand as well as a method for controlling such a fuel cell system. It is provided that the control unit is configured to selectively operate the fuel cell system in a first operating mode or in a second operating mode, whereby the fuel cell stack is turned off depending on the operating mode upon the falling below of an optimal efficiency degree operating point P(η.sub.max) of the fuel cell system or a minimum operating point P.sub.min of the fuel cell stack. In particular, at least one auxiliary unit is also turned off in the first operating mode, when the optimal efficiency degree operating point decreases.

A drain tube device of a muffler for a fuel cell vehicle includes: the muffler included in an exhaust pipe of the fuel cell vehicle and having a front end part to which blower air is introduced and a rear end part from which the blower air is discharged; a drain tube having a drain hole disposed between the front end part and the rear end part of the muffler to downwardly discharge the blower air; and a hole cover part mounted in the drain hole to block a hydrogen discharge of the blower air and discharge only condensate water. The drain tube device maintains functioning of the muffler while discharging the condensate water and smoothing a flow of the blower air through the hole cover part mounted in the drain hole upon starting the vehicle.

The disclosure provides a fuel cell system for a vehicle. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell stack disposed in a front room of a vehicle; and a converter assembly. The converter assembly disposed above or below the fuel cell stack includes: a converter; a first connector section; and a second connector section. The second connector section connects the converter assembly and a second electrical instrument which uses a high voltage. The second connector section is disposed behind the first connector section in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, and when the first connector section and the second connector section are seen from the front-rear direction of the vehicle, the first connector section and at least a portion of the second connector section are overlapped each other.

A fuel-cell vehicle in which a fuel cell which is a driving power source is mounted includes a refrigerant flow passage that is connected to the fuel cell, a first pump that causes a refrigerant to flow in the refrigerant flow passage, a heater that heats the refrigerant, and a connection part that is electrically connected to the heater and the first pump and that is used for electrical connection to an external power source which is provided outside the fuel-cell vehicle. The heater and the first pump are driven with electric power supplied from the external power source which is connected thereto via the connection part.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a battery disposed in a first space, a radiator disposed in a second space formed adjacent to the first space in a second direction intersecting a first direction, which is a direction in which the vehicle travels, and at least one fuel cell unit disposed in a third space formed adjacent to the first space in the second direction while being spaced apart from the second space in the second direction, with the first space interposed therebetween.

A fuel cell vehicle includes a battery disposed in a first space, a radiator disposed in a second space formed adjacent to the first space in a second direction intersecting a first direction, which is a direction in which the vehicle travels, and at least one fuel cell unit disposed in a third space formed adjacent to the first space in the second direction while being spaced apart from the second space in the second direction, with the first space interposed therebetween.

A lightweight, high power density, fault-tolerant fuel cell system, method, and apparatus for full-scale clean fuel electric-powered aircraft having a fuel cell module including a plurality of fuel cells working together to process gaseous oxygen from air compressed by turbochargers, superchargers, blowers or local oxygen supply and gaseous hydrogen from liquid hydrogen transformed by heat exchangers, with an electrical circuit configured to collect electrons from the plurality of hydrogen fuel cells to supply voltage and current to motor controllers commanded by autopilot control units configured to select and control an amount and distribution of electrical voltage and torque or current for each of the plurality of motor and propeller assemblies, wherein electrons returning from the electrical circuit combine with oxygen in the compressed air to form oxygen ions, then the protons combine with oxygen ions to form H.sub.2O molecules and heat.

A gas sensor includes a gas detecting element that includes a first electrode, a metal oxide layer, and a second electrode; and a first insulating film that has an opening allowing the second electrode to be partially exposed therethrough and covers the first electrode, the metal oxide layer, and another part of the second electrode. The metal oxide layer has a characteristic where its resistance value changes as the second electrode makes contact with gas molecules including hydrogen atoms. A first step is provided at a portion lying on an interface between the metal oxide layer and the second electrode and located within the opening as viewed in plan view. A local region is provided in the metal oxide layer and near the first step. A degree of oxygen deficiency of the local region is greater than a degree of oxygen deficiency of other regions in the metal oxide layer.

An energy conversion arrangement configured to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. The energy conversion arrangement comprises plural cell groups 30, 32, 34, 36, each cell group being configured to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. The energy conversion arrangement also comprises at least one measurement arrangement 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 configured to make measurements at each of the plural cell groups 30, 32, 34, 36. Each energy conversion arrangement is configured to determine a condition of at least one of: each of the plural cell groups; and the energy conversion arrangement. The condition is determined in dependence on the measurements made at each cell group and a model of each cell group.