Use as a copilot
Task areas where people work with AI — iterating, learning, or checking — staying in the loop rather than handing the task off.
- Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. · 0.7%
Fuel Cell Engineers
Occupation · SOC 17-2141.01
Design, evaluate, modify, or construct fuel cell components or systems for transportation, stationary, or portable applications.
Also called: Engineer · Fuel Cell Engineer · Research Engineer · Stack Engineer · Design Cell Engineer · Fuel Cell Designer · Fuel Cell Systems Engineer · Fuel Cell Test Engineer · Space Battery Technician · Subsystems Engineer
Job family: Architecture and Engineering Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-17-2141-01/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Keep a human in the loop
Task areas where a human was still judged necessary in a large share of observed conversations — not a safety ruling, an observed-need signal.
- Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. · 98.6% need a human
Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Growing fast employment outlook (+9.1% by 2034)
- 18,100 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Observed AI use leans augmentation
- Median pay $102,320/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- A reversal from 2013 — rated low automation risk then (7th), high AI task-overlap now (71st)
71st-percentile task overlap — yet about 18,100 openings a year (+9.1% projected, BLS), and observed AI use leans 3803% copilot, not hand-off (AEI) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) High | 74th | 1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 57th | 0.7 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 82nd | 0.3 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.2), with simple added tooling (β 0.5), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.7). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.0 · 7th percentile among occupations · Low
How AI is actually used in this job
Among measured AI assistant conversations mapped to this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15), these task types came up most. These are shares of observed AI conversations — not shares of the job, of worker time, or of what could be automated.
| Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. | 0.8% | |
| Simulate or model fuel cell, motor, or other system information, using simulation software programs. | 0.5% |
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Growing fast · +9.1% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 18,100 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 293,100 → 319,600 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Fuel Cell Engineers sits at the 61st percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
32% mean task exposure (2025)
61st percentile of 427 placed occupations
+2 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineers · 2144 | 32% | Not exposed |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Working with AI in this job
How people actually apply AI to this occupation's tasks, from Claude.ai (Free and Pro) conversations in the Anthropic Economic Index, 2026-01-15. This is one AI assistant's consumer sample — not all AI, not the whole workforce. Autonomy and the collaboration mix are model-rated estimates; figures below the sample floor are hidden.
| Augmentation vs. automation | 38.0% working with AI · 36.6% handed to AI |
| Most common way people use AI here | Iteration · you and AI go back and forth |
| Typical AI autonomy | 4.0 / 5 · higher = AI acts more independently |
| Used for work (vs. personal / coursework) | 52.1% |
What people delegate to AI
The role's most common tasks in AI conversations, each tagged with how people work with the AI on it. “Usage” is the share of observed conversations, not of the job.
| Task | How | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. | Iteration | 0.7% |
Where a human is still needed
Tasks where the model most often judged that a person remained necessary — a useful read on the current boundary, not a guarantee.
| Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. | 98.6% |
What people most often hand AI here
Example prompts phrased from the tasks people most often delegate to AI in this occupation (Anthropic Economic Index). Each shows the underlying measured task and its share of observed AI use. They are suggested phrasings of real tasks — starting points, not endorsed instructions.
-
Help me write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects.From: Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. · 0.7% of measured AI use · task iteration
Tasks
All 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Plan or conduct experiments to validate new materials, optimize startup protocols, reduce conditioning time, or examine contaminant tolerance. Core · importance 4.2
- Characterize component or fuel cell performances by generating operating maps, defining operating conditions, identifying design refinements, or executing durability assessments. Core · importance 4.1
- Provide technical consultation or direction related to the development or production of fuel cell systems. Core · importance 4.1
- Analyze fuel cell or related test data, using statistical software. Core · importance 4.0
- Conduct fuel cell testing projects, using fuel cell test stations, analytical instruments, or electrochemical diagnostics, such as cyclic voltammetry or impedance spectroscopy. Core · importance 4.0
- Plan or implement fuel cell cost reduction or product improvement projects in collaboration with other engineers, suppliers, support personnel, or customers. Core · importance 4.0
- Conduct post-service or failure analyses, using electromechanical diagnostic principles or procedures. Core · importance 3.8
- Define specifications for fuel cell materials. Core · importance 3.8
- Recommend or implement changes to fuel cell system designs. Core · importance 3.8
- Read current literature, attend meetings or conferences, or talk with colleagues to stay abreast of new technology or competitive products. Core · importance 3.7
- Validate design of fuel cells, fuel cell components, or fuel cell systems. Core · importance 3.7
- Develop fuel cell materials or fuel cell test equipment. Core · importance 3.7
- Prepare test stations, instrumentation, or data acquisition systems for use in specific tests of fuel cell components or systems. Core · importance 3.7
- Fabricate prototypes of fuel cell components, assemblies, stacks, or systems. Core · importance 3.6
- Design or implement fuel cell testing or development programs. Core · importance 3.6
- Manage fuel cell battery hybrid system architecture, including sizing of components, such as fuel cells, energy storage units, or electric drives. Core · importance 3.6
- Write technical reports or proposals related to engineering projects. Core · importance 3.5
- Design fuel cell systems, subsystems, stacks, assemblies, or components, such as electric traction motors or power electronics. Core · importance 3.4
- Simulate or model fuel cell, motor, or other system information, using simulation software programs. Core · importance 3.4
- Identify or define vehicle and system integration challenges for fuel cell vehicles. Core · importance 3.4
- Calculate the efficiency or power output of a fuel cell system or process. Core · importance 3.3
- Coordinate fuel cell engineering or test schedules with departments outside engineering, such as manufacturing. Core · importance 3.3
- Authorize release of fuel cell parts, components, or subsystems for production. Core · importance 3.3
- Evaluate the power output, system cost, or environmental impact of new hydrogen or non-hydrogen fuel cell system designs. Core · importance 3.2
- Integrate electric drive subsystems with other vehicle systems to optimize performance or mitigate faults. Core · importance 3.1
- Develop or evaluate systems or methods of hydrogen storage for fuel cell applications. Supplemental · importance 2.9
Work activities
- Prepare technical reports for internal use.
- Prepare proposal documents.
- Update technical knowledge.
- Conduct validation tests of equipment or processes.
- Create models of engineering designs or methods.
- Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
- Provide technical guidance to other personnel.
- Research energy production, use, or conservation.
- Design energy-efficient vehicles or vehicle components.
- Analyze green technology design requirements.
- Create physical models or prototypes.
- Design materials for industrial or commercial applications.
- Conduct quantitative failure analyses of operational data.
- Devise research or testing protocols.
- Design alternative energy systems.
- Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
- Analyze test or validation data.
- Operate industrial equipment.
- Implement design or process improvements.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Coordinate activities with suppliers, contractors, clients, or other departments.
- Maintain inventories of materials, equipment, or products.
- Test green technologies or processes.
- Determine design criteria or specifications.
- Evaluate the characteristics of green technologies.
- Develop technical methods or processes.
- Investigate the environmental impact of projects.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Engineering and Technology | 4.6 | |
| Chemistry | 4.0 | |
| Design | 3.9 | |
| Mathematics | 3.9 | |
| Physics | 3.6 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.5 | |
| Mechanical | 3.5 | |
| Production and Processing | 3.3 | |
| English Language | 3.1 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.8 | |
| Speaking | 3.8 | |
| Science | 3.8 | |
| Active Listening | 3.6 | |
| Active Learning | 3.6 | |
| Monitoring | 3.6 | |
| Mathematics | 3.5 |
Abilities
| Oral Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Written Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Oral Expression | 4.0 | |
| Written Expression | 4.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.0 | |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.0 | |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.9 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.8 | |
| Category Flexibility | 3.8 | |
| Near Vision | 3.8 | |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.6 | |
| Originality | 3.5 | |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.4 | |
| Selective Attention | 3.4 | |
| Number Facility | 3.3 | |
| Visualization | 3.3 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.3 |
Transferable skills
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 | |
| Systems Analysis | 3.6 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.3 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Showing the top 40 of 41.
Tools & technology
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Typical entry-level education
- Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
- Preparation level
- SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
What to study: Engineering . Fields of study crosswalked to this occupation (NCES CIP–SOC), not a requirement.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| Bachelor's Degree | 57.1% | |
| Master's Degree | 42.9% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Interest areas
| Engineering | 6.7 | |
| Physical Science | 5.7 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 5.1 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 4.9 | |
| Information Technology | 2.5 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 6.0 | |
| Attention to Detail | 5.0 | |
| Cautiousness | 4.0 | |
| Intellectual Curiosity | 3.0 | |
| Innovation | 2.5 | |
| Achievement Orientation | 2.1 |
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Realistic | 5.5 | |
| Investigative | 5.4 | |
| Conventional | 4.1 | |
| Enterprising | 2.5 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $68,740 |
| 25th percentile | $81,800 |
| Median (50th) | $102,320 |
| 75th percentile | $130,290 |
| 90th percentile | $161,240 |
| People employed | 286,760 |
Wages and employment are reported by BLS for the broader occupation group this specialty belongs to (SOC 17-2141), not for the specialty alone.
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing · Sector | 127,220 | $99,990 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 89,470 | $106,190 |
| Engineering Services · National industry | 51,510 | $103,250 |
| Wholesale Trade · Sector | 18,910 | $98,380 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 11,080 | $108,040 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 8,330 | $94,330 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 6,220 | $86,140 |
| Construction · Sector | 5,680 | $97,790 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 3,650 | $103,910 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors · National industry | 3,000 | $88,990 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 2,980 | $85,780 |
| Utilities · Sector | 1,710 | $130,420 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Services · National industry | 23.96× | 51,510 |
| Testing Laboratories and Services · National industry | 11.52× | 3,650 |
| Machine Shops · National industry | 6.17× | 2,980 |
| Manufacturing · Sector | 5.36× | 127,220 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | 4.47× | 89,470 |
| Solar Electric Power Generation · National industry | 3.85× | 100 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 2.12× | 11,080 |
| Nuclear Electric Power Generation · National industry | 2.03× | 140 |
Related occupations
Part of the Advanced Manufacturing career cluster.
- Chemical Engineers · 17-2041.00 Compare →
- Automotive Engineers · 17-2141.02 Compare →
- Microsystems Engineers · 17-2199.06 Compare →
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers · 11-9041.01 Compare →
- Electrical Engineers · 17-2071.00 Compare →
- Mechanical Engineers · 17-2141.00 Compare →
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer · 17-2072.00 Compare →
- Aerospace Engineers · 17-2011.00 Compare →
- Materials Scientists · 19-2032.00 Compare →
- Nuclear Engineers · 17-2161.00 Compare →
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians · 17-3023.00 Compare →
- Biomass Plant Technicians · 51-8013.03 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Fuel Cell Engineers — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- Bachelor's degree · typical entry level
- Job zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed · preparation tier
- Engineering · field of study
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 61st percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Fuel Cell Engineers show 71st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,100 annual U.S. openings
- Fuel Cell Engineers rank in the 71st percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 18,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+9.1%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $102,320, across about 286,760 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
- Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 38% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census.2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2
Copy the whole kit
Fuel Cell Engineers show 71st-percentile AI task overlap — and about 18,100 annual U.S. openings • Fuel Cell Engineers rank in the 71st percentile (High band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 18,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be growing fast (+9.1%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $102,320, across about 286,760 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) • Of the AI use actually observed for this work, 38% looks like augmentation (drafting, iterating, checking) rather than hands-off automation — from a Claude.ai usage sample, not a census. (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) Source: Singulariki — "Fuel Cell Engineers". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-01 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Fuel Cell Engineers." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-01
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Fuel Cell Engineers. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-01
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-17-2141-01,
title = {Fuel Cell Engineers},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-17-2141-01}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.