A self-starting fuel cell assembly and methods of starting fuel cells are disclosed. In at least certain examples, the fuel cell assembly can be configured to supply voltage to a fuel source, an air source or both. The fuel cell assembly further includes a control system configured to detect an output voltage of the fuel cell stack. The control system can be further configured to control at least one of the air source and the fuel source to control the output voltage in a working stage and in a start-up stage.