Alkaline direct ethylene glycol fuel cells are one of the most promising power sources for portable, mobile and stationary power applications, primarily because this type of fuel cell runs on a sustainable fuel and the key materials that constitute the fuel cell are relatively inexpensive. This review article summarizes and discusses the past investigations on the development of alkaline direct ethylene glycol fuel cells, including the physical and chemical processes through the fuel cell structure, the electro-catalytic oxidation and electrocatalysts of ethylene glycol, the singe-cell performance, and innovative system designs. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.