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Salt Water Fuel Cell Car

picture of salt water fuel cell car

A salt water fuel cell car works using salt water. You just put a drop of salt water in one of the compartments and it will run.

Check out a video of a salt water fuel cell car:



The salt water provides the electrolyte used in a chemical reaction inside a fuel cell. This chemical reaction creates electricity, similar to how a battery creates electricity. This electricity runs a small motor which powers the car.

After a few minutes of use, the salt water gets used up and you need to add new salt water to keep the car going. After a few hours of use the magnesium plate used in the fuel cell also gets used up and you have to replace it.

This toy demonstrates that something as simple as salt water can be used to power a vehicle. It should be mentioned that the salt water itself does not provide the power for the car. It is an "ingredient" necessary to keep the car running and it is what needs to be replenished most often to keep the car running. It is the magnesium plate, which gets used up, which provides the energy source for the car, by way of its chemical reaction with the salt water, and air.

It's called a fuel cell car because it uses a simple fuel cell to operate. A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity by way of a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. Fuel cells are different from batteries in that they require a constant source of fuel and oxygen/air to sustain the chemical reaction. However, fuel cells can continue to produce electricity as long as these inputs are supplied.



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