Electrive writes that, as per the researchers, the reason why fuel cells don't last as long as they could, is that "the components, such as the electrodes and the membranes, degrade over time". The main focus point for the research team was heavy commercial vehicles, which need to operate for 20.000 to 30.000 hours, a lifespan which fuel cells these days can't offer.

Research leader Björn Wickman, Associate Professor at the Department of Physics at Chalmers, explains that "it has previously been assumed that the performance would be affected by the fuel cell being disassembled and studied in the way we have done, but it turned out that this assumption is not correct, which is surprising."

Following the path of a single particle within a fuel cell, scientists were able to get a better understanding on how and why aging occurs. Previous tests were conducted on half fuel cells, which aren't built in the same way as a regular fuel cell and also, they were operated in different conditions than a normal hydrogen fuel cell installed in an EV, altering the findings.

The fuel cells were found to degrade due to a multitude of factors, including heat and humidity. The cathode electrode, which usually operates at 1.0 V, can spike up to 1.5 V when starting or shutting an engine down, further contributing to the degradation of the fuel cell and the presence of platinum, which is an important metal for manufacturing these devices, also accelerates degradation.

"We have now laid a foundation on which to build for the development of better fuel cells. Now we know more about the processes that take place in the fuel cell and at what point over the lifetime of the fuel cell they occur. In the future, the method will be used to develop and study new materials that can give the fuel cell a longer lifespan," Björn Wickman added.

Having studied the degradation process of fuel cells, researchers now can develop the technologies that can enable them to become more durable than before.