COMMENTARY: Killer App's for Fuel Cells Is the Industry Ready?

A technology attains ubiquity when its utility overcomes the inertia of initial high prices or is so compelling. It worked for the personal computer, televisions, the iPod, radios, and a host of other consumer and business items. The spreadsheet is the killer application that made a compelling business case for computers, as did the ease of use of the iPod as a portable concert and AIM sessions for wildly misspelled multi-tasking teenage chatter.

For years, there has been a near-consensus industry opinion that the chief endgame for fuel cells is the vehicle market. But