Fuel cell system and method for generating inert gas for a fuel cell system

A fuel cell system, comprising:

• a fuel cell unit provided in a housing and comprising an anode part and a cathode part,
• a hydrogen source for supplying hydrogen to the fuel cell unit,
• an air supply unit for supplying air to the fuel cell unit,
• a catalytic converter for catalytically converting oxygen and hydrogen to generate an inert gas mixture and supplying the inert gas mixture to an interior of the housing,
• wherein the catalytic converter comprises a cathode exhaust gas intake for receiving a cathode exhaust gas from the cathode part of the fuel cell unit,
• wherein the catalytic converter is configured to generate the inert gas mixture from a purge gas supplied from the anode part of the fuel cell unit, or from fresh hydrogen supplied from a hydrogen supply unit of the fuel cell unit, or a mixture of the purge gas and fresh hydrogen,
• wherein the catalytic converter comprises a gas intake for receiving ambient gas from the interior of the housing and to convert the ambient gas to an oxygen depleted gas containing no hydrogen or a reduced hydrogen concentration.