TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ELECTRICAL POWER AND ENERGY - Preferred Component: The negative electrode includes an electrode tab welded to the porous metal substrate. Each nickel-metal hydride battery includes positive electrode(s) comprising an active material comprising a disordered y-phase positive electrode material. The nickel metal hydride batteries are low pressure nickel metal hydride electrochemical cells comprising a negative electrode comprising a metal hydride active material; a positive electrode comprising a nickel hydroxide active material; and a reduced thickness separator positioned around the negative electrode and around the positive electrode. The negative electrode or the surface of the reduced thickness separator facing the negative electrode has a uniform distribution of hydrophobic material. A fluid cooled battery-pack system is provided comprising a battery-pack case and coolant transport(s). The battery-pack case includes coolant inlet(s) and coolant outlet(s). The battery module is disposed within the case such that the module is disposed with a space from the case and from any other module disposed within the case to form coolant flow channels along surface(s) of the module. The coolant transport(s) causes the coolant to enter the coolant inlet of the case, to flow through the coolant flow channels and to exit the coolant outlet of the case. A cooling system is provided for cooling the nickel metal hydride battery module. The source of power comprises a regenerative braking system providing charging current for the nickel-metal hydride batteries. It comprises a plug adapted to receive an electrical current from an electrical outlet. An electrolyte conditioner is provided for replenishing water decomposed within the fuel cell to form the supply of hydrogen. The fuel cell is an alkaline fuel cell, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, a molten carbonate fuel cell, a phosphoric acid fuel cell, and a solid oxide fuel cell. The alkaline fuel cell comprises a hydrogen electrode; an oxygen electrode; mechanism for contacting the hydrogen electrode with a gaseous hydrogen stream; mechanism for contacting the oxygen electrode with a gaseous oxygen containing stream; and mechanism for contacting the hydrogen electrode and the oxygen electrode with an electrolyte stream. The hydrogen electrode comprises an anode active material having hydrogen storage capacity. The anode active material has a gaseous hydrogen contacting surface, an electrolyte contacting surface, and the bulk of the anode active material disposed between the gaseous hydrogen contacting surface and the electrolyte contacting surface. The gaseous hydrogen contacting surface is adapted to dissociate and adsorb the gaseous hydrogen. The bulk of the anode active material can store the adsorbed hydrogen. The electrolyte contacting surface can react the stored hydrogen with an electrolyte solution. The anode additionally includes a substrate component which provides for both electrical conductivity and mechanical support and comprises an electrically conductive mesh, grid, foam, matte, foil, plate, or expanded metal. The fuel cell further includes an anode which includes a hydrophobic component. It comprises an electrically conductive powder intimately mixed with the hydrogen storage material. The anode active material comprises a composite hydrogen storage material including an active material having hydrogen storage capacity; and a catalytic material having greater catalytic activity toward the dissociation of molecular hydrogen and/or oxidation of hydrogen than that of the active material having hydrogen storage capacity. The catalytic material comprises a multicomponent compositionally disordered non-equilibrium catalytic material including a host matrix having transition element(s) and having modifier element(s) modifying the local structural chemical environments of the material to provide the disorder. The material includes mechanism for creating an increased density of catalytically active sites for the dissociation of molecular hydrogen. The mechanisms include chemical elements for providing catalytically active sites; mechanisms designed to provide local chemical environments which include sites for inactivating poisonous species; and non-equilibrium metastable phases and configurations. The disordered material is polycrystalline multicomponent material lacking long range compositional order; a microcrystalline material; a mixture of polycrystalline or microcrystalline phase regions and amorphous phase regions; an amorphous material containing amorphous phase(s); and a mixture of microcrystalline and polycrystalline phases. Preferred Property: The battery module has an internal resistance to provide a peak power density in relation to an energy density as defined by P greater than 1375-15E, with P greater than 600 W/kg, where P is the peak power density as measured in W/kg and E is the energy density as measured in W-hour/kg. A controller is provided for operating the battery module in a charge depleting or sustaining mode. The drive system has a peak energy density of at least70 W-hour/Kg. It has a peak power density of greater than 700, preferably at least1000 W/kg.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: Each nickel-metal hydride battery has negative electrode(s) including a porous metal substrate comprising a material from copper, copper alloy, nickel coated with copper, or nickel coated with copper alloy. The negative electrode comprises Ovonic alloys comprising (Base Alloy)aCobMncAldFeeLafMog, where Base Alloy represents a disordered multicomponent alloy having structure(s) from amorphous, microcrystalline and/or polycrystalline; b (O-7.5 atom%); c (O-8.5 atom%); d (0-2.5 atom%); e (0-6 atom%); f (0-4.5 atom%); g (O-6.5 atom%); b + c + d + e + f + g is greater than 0; and a + b + c + d + e + f + g = 100 atom%. The active material further comprises an additive from nickel particles, nickel fibers, graphite particles, nickel plated graphite particles, nickel plated copper particles, nickel plated copper fibers, nickel flakes, or nickel plated copper flakes. The battery module(s) includes negative electrodes having porous metal substrates formed of copper. The mesh, grid, foam, or expanded metal is formed from nickel, nickel alloy, copper, copper plated nickel or a copper-nickel alloy. The anode active material is a hydrogen storage alloy which does not include noble metal catalysts. The hydrogen storage alloy is rare-earth/Misch metal alloys, zirconium alloys, titanium alloys, and/or their alloys. The hydrogen storage alloy has the following composition (Base Alloy)aCobMncFedSne, where the Base Alloy comprises (atom%) titanium (0.1-60), zirconium (0.1-40), vanadium (0-60) nickel (0.1 to 57), and chromium (0-56); b (0-7.5); c (13-17); d (0-3.5); e (0-1.5); and a + b + c + d + e = 100 atom%. The electrically conductive powder comprises material(s) from copper, a copper alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, or carbon. The host matrix includes nickel (Ni). The modifier element is a transition element. It can be titanium (Ti), zirconium, molybdenum (Mo), vanadium, magnesium (Mg), silicon, or aluminum. The catalytic material is a Ni-Ti-Mo alloy. The hydrogen storage unit is a metal hydride hydrogen storage unit including a hydrogen storage material. The hydrogen storage material includes AB2 or AB5 type hydrogen storage alloys from rare earth-nickel alloys, titanium-manganese alloys, titanium-zirconium alloys, titanium-iron alloys, or Mg alloys. The hydrogen storage alloy is a powder having a hydrogen storage capacity of at least6 wt.%; absorption kinetics such that the alloy powder absorbs 80% of it's total capacity within 5 minutes at 300degreesC; and a particle size of 30-70 mum. The alloy includes at least90 wt.% Mg. The alloy further includes 0.5-2.5 wt.% nickel or 1.0-4.0 wt.% Misch metal. The Misch metal comprises predominantly cerium, lanthanum, or praseodymium. The alloy further includes (wt.%) aluminum (3-7), yttrium (0.1-1.5) and silicon (0.3-1.5). The alloy is (atom%) zirconium (0.5-10), titanium (29-35), vanadium (10-15), chromium (13-20), manganese (32-38), iron (1.5-3), and aluminum (0.05-0.5). The alloy comprises Zr1Ti33V12.54Cr15 Mn36Fe2.25Al0.21. It may also comprise Zr1.5Ti32.5V12.54Cr15Mn36 Fe2.25 Al0.21. The alloy further comprises 1-10 atom% total of element(s) from barium, cobalt, copper, cesium, potassium, lithium, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, niobium, rubidium, tantalum, thallium, or tungsten.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Material: The separator is made of nylon or grafted polyethylene. The hydrophobic material comprises a 1% aqueous solution of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The hydrophobic component is PTFE.