One of the main problems with the internal-combustion engine is that it relies on petroleum, either in the form of gasoline or diesel fuel. Petroleum is a finite resource; someday, we will run out of oil. The hydrogen needed for fuel-cell engines cannot e

The reading passage is about the advantages of fuel-cell engines over the internal-combustion engines. The lecturer, however disagrees the points made in the reading passage. Although she agrees that internal-combustion engine produces more pollution, and harmful to environment, she thinks that fuel -cell engine do also have some disadvantages. Firstly, the author of reading suggest that fuel-cell engines utilize easily available, renewable resource of hydrogen whereas, combustion based engines needs petroleum which is easily depleting. The lecturer rebuts this argument. She mentions that even though hydrogen is freely available in environment, the form of hydrogen needed in fuel-cell engine is not freely available. It needs a pure liquid state of hydrogen, which is an artificial form. She also states that it is very difficult to produce and store this form of hydrogen as it needs elaborate cooling of about -253 degree Celsius. Secondly, the authors points out that the by product of fuel -cell engine is water which is not harmful to the environment. This point is challenged by the lecturer. She states that even though the by product is harmless, the way of manufacturing pure hydrogen involves burning of coal and fuel in factories, thus exhausting a lot of harmful fumes to environment. Thirdly, the author posits that fuel-cell engines are more economical than combustion based vehicle. The lecturer, on the other hand, says that this is not true because there is a platinum component in fuel-cell engine which is very expensive. This metal is very crucial for the chemical reaction to take place in the machine. . There is no replacement of platinum yet found, so it is going to be expensive.