Fuel cell roundup May 2009 19th May 2009

hondarefill fuel cell

A research project based at the Hydrogen Systems Laboratory at Purdue's Maurice J Zucrow Laboratories has resulted in the development of an improved hydrogen storage system for cars, rdmag.com reports. A team of scientists funded by General Motors and directed by Darsh Kumar, Michael Herrmann and Abbas Nazri has produced a system which enables a vehicle's fuel tank to be filled in five minutes with enough hydrogen to power it for 300 miles. The system sees hydrogen gas absorbed by a fine powder called metal hydride and the resultant heat generated by the process removed by an exchanger.

http://www.rdmag.com/ShowPR.aspx?PUBCODE=014&ACCT=1400000101&ISSUE=0904&RELTYPE=PSC&PRODCODE=00000000&PRODLETT=AS&CommonCount=0

P21 has secured US$13.6 million (£8.8 million) in funding to help with its efforts to build fuel cell systems for cell towers. According to Reuters, the news is indicative of a trend which has seen attempts to marry phone companies with fuel cells.

http://www.reuters.com/article/earthToTech/idUS366164384020090513

A 1MW distributed power generation solution will be provided by Ballard Power Systems as part of a supply agreement signed with FirstEnergy Corp. The power solution will be used in a utility load management demonstration project which will test the unit over a three-year period. John Sheridan, Ballard's president and CEO, said the deal would help the company exploit its proton exchange membrane-based fuel cell solutions in the distributed power generation market.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/05-06-2009/0005020944&EDATE=

The Korea Times reports that Samsung SDI has developed a highly efficient portable direct-methanol fuel cell aimed at the military market. Company spokesperson Seo Hae-su says the direct methanol fuel cell, which can provide 1,800 watts of electricity between charges, will be available commercially from 2010.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2009/04/123_42806.htmlhttp://www.samsung.co.kr/news/biz_view.jsp?contentid=123682

Air Products has signed an agreement with Nestle Waters North America concerning the supply of both hydrogen and hydrogen fuelling station technology to a Nestle facility in Dallas, Texas. The hydrogen will be used to power a fleet of Class I hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks, with the fuelling station scheduled to be up and running by the end of June.

http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-09-2009/0005003489&EDATE=

MTI MicroFuel Cells has revealed it is to test its fuel cartridge design in conjunction with a leading manufacturer of power tools. The Mobion platform is aimed at the cordless products for industrial applications market and Peng Lim, CEO of MTI, believes the relationship with the manufacturer will allow MTI to pursue opportunities "beyond the consumer electronics market".

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?&ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090421005867&newsLang=en

Protonex Chief Executive Scott Pearson has outlined plans to produce progressively smaller fuel-cell-and-cartridge combinations, Defense News reports. The company has secured a US$3.3 million (£2.2 million) contract from the US Defense Department having demonstrated a 2-litre soda bottle-sized hydrogen fuel cell and fuel cartridge can power a 14-pound UACV for nine hours.

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4046002&c=FEA&s=TEC

The US Department of Energy (DoE) has awarded a US$7.3 million (£4.8 million) grant to Sprint which will be used to expand the company's hydrogen fuel cell programme. The award was part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which aims to boost fuel cell technologies and is the largest grant made by the DoE in the latest round of funding.

http://newsreleases.sprint.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=127149&p=irol-newsArticle_newsroom&ID=1277707&highlight=

A portion of the US Department of Energy grant handed out to FedEx, Anheuser-Busch Incorporated, Sysco and Genco will filter through to a Latham-based fuel cell developer, it has been revealed. The Business Review reports that US$6 million (£3.9 million) will be spent by the four companies on installing and testing 304 Plug Power Incorporated hydrogen-powered GenDrive systems in their forklift and pallet trucks.

http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2009/04/27/story2.html?b=1240804800%5e1817247

Hydrogenics Corporation has secured another order from the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) National Fuel Cell Bus Program (NFCBP). The NFCBP has purchased a HyPM HD fuel cell power module from the hydrogen generation and fuel cell products company. According to president and CEO Daryl Wilson, Hydrogenics aims to become a "leading provider of zero emission, domestically-fuelled power solutions" for the transit bus market through the provision of fuel cell technology.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Hydrogenics-Corporation-TSX-HYG-979888.html

Proton Power Systems has staged an advanced preview of its triple-hybrid fuel cell passenger bus in advance of its official unveiling in Prague this summer. The vehicle, which was produced by Proton in conjunction with Skoda Electric and UJV Nuclear Research Institute Rez, was shown off to industry insiders in Puchheim, near Munich, Small Cap News reports.

http://www.smallcapnews.co.uk/article/Proton_Power_and_Skoda_launch_triplehybrid_fuel_cell_passenger_bus_/7351.aspx

Meanwhile, in auto news, the Honda FCX Clarity was decreed the 2009 World Green Car at a press conference in Manhattan hosted by the New York International Auto Show and Mobil 1 last month (April 9th). Honda was praised by the jury for its bold promotion of fuel cell-powered vehicles at a time when manufacturers are under pressure to reduce outgoings. The FCX Clarity, a hydrogen-fuelled luxury sedan, boasts a 430 km range and fuel consumption of around 3.3 litres/100 km.

http://sev.prnewswire.com/auto/20090409/NY9706309042009-1.html

General Motors (GM) and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) have launched a new vehicle powered by GM's fourth-generation fuel cell propulsion technology. The Shanghai Brand Fuel Cell Vehicle, of which ten will be built, will be used to transport VIPs at the World Expo 2010 due to be held in Shanghai. The companies have also signed agreements relating to the promotion of advanced vehicle technology.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS18308+20-Apr-2009+PRN20090420

A 350 mile hydrogen highway has been opened in Norway which links the country's capital, Oslo, with the city of Stavanger. A number of hydrogen filling stations line the route, enabling the refuelling of hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/behindTheScenes/idUKTRE54A42Z20090511?sp=true

The decision of the Obama administration to favour biofuel and battery programmes over fuel cell projects will not hinder the development of hydrogen-powered autos, it has been revealed. According to Bloomberg, Honda, GM and Toyota have all pledged to continue their hydrogen and fuel cell programmes despite the US government's resolution to reduce the hydrogen-related funding budget by 60 per cent.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601209&sid=abc.hrgl1DPQ

Finally, drastically increasing the proportion of alternatively-fuelled vehicles - and particularly hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles - on the roads in the US is the only way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously achieving a number of other key objectives, a new report claims. The study, which is entitled 'Evolution: An Analysis of Alternative Vehicles and Fuels to 2100', was released by the National Hydrogen Association (NHA) and assesses how US greenhouse gas pollution can be cut by 80 per cent below 1990 levels; petroleum quasi-independence can be reached by 2050; and almost all controllable air pollution can be eliminated by the end of the century. Jeff Serfass, president of the NHA, believes the results "show quantitatively why it is absolutely critical that we continue significant efforts to make hydrogen vehicles and stations more widely available to consumers".


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