Fuel cell technology updates, October - November:
Fuel Cell Technology Update
November 1998
Ballard Buses Begin In-Use Testing in British Columbia. Three of Ballard Power Systems' latest- generation fuel cell buses are now being tested "in-use" by BC Transit in British Columbia, Canada. Engines for the buses have been supplied by dab fuel cell engines, the joint venture of Ballard, Daimler-Benz and Ford. After the two-year testing period, Ballard will use the data to help produce commercially marketed fuel cell bus engines, which it expects to be producing by 2002.
Residential Fuel Cell Prototype Unveiled. Avista Laboratories of Spokane, Washington, has unveiled its first prototype of a residential sized fuel cell. The company plans to begin beta-testing units in Spring 1999. The 7.2kW fuel cells will contain twelve "hot-swap" power modules, which can be removed for service without taking the whole system off-line. Units will be scalable depending on the customer's power needs, and will be tested using stored hydrogen as the fuel.
Could GM's First Fuel Cell Car Be a Cadillac? A recent story in EV World reported General Motors is planning to use its Cadillac model as the basis for its advanced-technology powertrains. This means that GM's first fuel cell vehicle may be a Cadillac. The automaker believes Cadillac purchasers may be willing to pay more for the status of being first with the advanced technology.
Fuel Cell Passenger Boats Planned. A 90-passenger boat in Italy has been converted to fuel cell power as part of the Euro-Quebec Hydro-Hydrogen Pilot Project. The hybrid electric power system employs a 40kW PEM fuel cell -- fed gasified liquid hydrogen -- with a lead acid battery storage system, giving the boat an operating range of 300 kilometers (186.4 miles). Officials are studying the possibility of an "in-use" demonstration. In Germany, the Expo 2000 project plans to equip the passenger boat "MS Weltfrieden" (motor ship World Peace) with a 10kW PEM fuel cell and two metal hydride storage tanks. The boat may go into public operation as early as the next operating season in 1999.
Czech-German-Canadian Partnership to Build Fuel Cell Buses. A partnership formed between the Czech Republic's Skoda Plzen AS engineering firm, Ballard Power Systems and Daimler-Benz could bring 50 fuel cell buses per year into Canadian cities. Skoda will supply the chassis, body, and control systems for the buses, while Ballard and Daimler-Benz will supply the fuel cell systems. The first buses are expected to arrive in Vancouver by 2000.
Fuel Cell Stacks Available to R&D Market. Energy Partners of West Palm Beach, Florida, has announced the availability of its NG2000 PEM fuel cell stacks for use by the fuel cell R&D market. Its first sale was to Virginia Polytechnic Institute for the school's hybrid electric vehicle entry in the U.S. Department of Energy's FutureCar Challenge. The 20kW stacks run on pure hydrogen. Energy Partners plans to introduce the NG2000R fuel flexible PEM fuel cell stack early in 1999 which would be able to use hydrogen from natural gas, propane, methanol, or gasoline.
Catalyst Developments Simplify, Reduce Cost of Fuel Cells. Asahi Chemical Industry and the Noguchi Institute in Tokyo have jointly developed a new catalyst they say can completely eliminate carbon monoxide contaminants from the hydrogen gas supplied to fuel cells. The catalyst should simplify fuel supply systems, and allow for quicker startup in cold weather. Tokyo's Osaka National Industrial Research Institute has said it has developed a membrane that quickly and efficiently separates hydrogen from methanol. The membrane would allow companies to harness low-temperature waste heat from factories to manufacture hydrogen gas.
Shell Plans for Hydrogen Fuel Infrastructure. Shell Oil has announced efforts to develop a catalytic partial oxidation technology for extracting hydrogen from hydrocarbon fuels. Shell believes the CPO system will allow fuel cells to utilize existing fuel infrastructure, and hopes to finish testing the technology by the end of next year. The company has signed a cooperative agreement with Daimler-Benz and Ballard, and hopes to have a device on the road soon.
Small Business Grant Awarded for Extending Fuel Cell Life. Energy Research Corporation of Danbury, CT, has received $750,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy's Small Business Innovation Research program to help develop a process to double the expected life of important components of ERC's molten carbonate fuel cells. ERC has set a goal of a ten-year interval between scheduled major overhauls.
Fuel Cells for Cell Phones to be Developed in Israel. A subsidiary of the Israeli company Medis El Ltd. says it intends to market very small fuel cells for use in cellular phones, pagers, computers, and eventually in vehicles. The small cells will utilize a highly conductive electrical polymer that is very malleable, along with a process for plating electrodes which reduces the amount of platinum required in the fuel cell.
Toshiba Unveils Fuel Cell Power Plant at Houston Headquarters. Toshiba's headquarters in Houston is generating some of its own electricity thanks to a fuel cell power plant. The fuel cell, which has been operating since May, was officially unveiled last week. The fuel cell is used as the primary power source for the company's critical operations, including its computer network, telephone system, security, office lighting as well as its water/wastewater treatment facility.
Ballard Joins With Johnson Matthey on Catalyst Development. Ballard Power Systems has signed a long-term agreement with Johnson Matthey for the joint development and supply of catalysts and catalyst containing products for Ballard's fuel cells. This agreement follows an earlier collaboration between the two companies, and makes
Johnson Matthey Ballard's major supplier of catalysts for its fuel cell products.
Fuel Cell Technology Update
October 1998
GM Unveils Fuel Cell Van. GM has unveiled a fuel cell powered version of the Zafira compact van, manufactured by the company's Opel subsidiary in Europe. The concept car was premiered on Tuesday at the Paris Motor Show. The fuel cell Zafira is powered by a 50kW PEM fuel cell stack which runs on hydrogen from methanol. According to GM's press release, the van produces "near zero emissions of nitrogen oxides and about half the CO2 of gasoline engines," with a driving range similar to conventionally powered vehicles.
Ford to Have Fuel Cell Concept Car in 1999. Ford has announced that it plans to begin testing a fuel cell powered car in early 1999. The plans were unveiled by Ford Automotive President Jacques Nasser -- who will take over as President and CEO of Ford Motor Company in January 1999. Nasser also discussed Ford's other environmentally-friendly car plans.
General Electric to Market Fuel Cells. General Electric has teamed up with Plug Power to create GE Fuel Cell Systems. The joint venture will sell, install and service Plug Power-designed fuel cell cogeneration systems for residential use. According to a company press release, as part of its commercialization approach GE plans to partner with "a select number of gas distribution companies, electric utilities and service companies, and power marketers."
Fuel Cell in Operation in Antarctica. Research & Development Establishment (Engrs) of Pune, India, are testing a 500-watt PEM fuel cell at the Maitri Indian Scientific Station in Antarctica. The fuel cell stack, currently running on stored hydrogen and oxygen, was designed to produce 500-watts of power at 40 degrees centigrade and at ambient pressure. Experiments will study the performance of PEM fuel cells at low temperatures and the effects of using various grades of fuel.
A More Crack-Resistant Ceramic. According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, researchers at Ohio State University believe they've found a way to make ceramic parts more crack resistant during production. This could be useful in the production of solid oxide fuel cells which utilize ceramic parts.
Siemens Dumps Planar Plans. After taking over Westinghouse Power Generation and acquiring the company's tubular Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology, Siemens has decided to give up its plans for a planar SOFC concept. According to a member of the Siemens executive board, the tubular SOFC concept is more advanced than the planar.
Fuel Cell Bus Plans. Daimler-Benz plans to send its NEBUS fuel cell bus to Mexico City in November for a demonstration. North American Bus Industries (NABI), headquartered in Alabama, says it will unveil a new generation of fuel cell powered buses next year. NABI's buses will run on fuel cells utilizing compressed natural gas. Berlin's city bus
operator plans to convert the entire city fleet to fuel cell buses by 2020. Also, the city bus operator in Hamburg, Germany, has announced plans to begin deploying fuel cell buses in 2005.
Asahi Doubles Power Output of Fuel Cell, Eliminates CO in Hydrocarbon Gas. Dow Chemical and Asahi Chemical say they have developed a way of doubling the electricity per unit volume from a fuel cell. Tests on single cells have been conducted using an improved electrode material, and the companies believe the new material will allow a small fuel cell stack to provide as much power output as a gasoline engine. Asahi's collaboration with the Noguchi Institute in Japan has resulted in a special catalyst that, it claims, completely eliminates carbon monoxide impurities from hydrogen gas.
American Power Corp. Fuel Cell Heads for German Home. Starting this fall, a family home near Leipzig, Germany, will be powered by a fuel cell built by American Power Corp. of Boston, Massachusetts. American Power's fuel cell stack has already been delivered and integrated into a "cogeneration unit" by Hamburg Gas Consult GmbH of Hamburg. The
unit will utilize natural gas as the fuel.
Coast Guard to Fund Market Analysis for Maritime Fuel Cells. The U.S. Coast Guard is funding a market analysis for maritime fuel cells. The analysis will be performed by the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD), which is interested in fuel cells as a future power plant for ferries, domestic ships, and ocean going ships. An interagency marine fuel cell working group has been established, including the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard, MARAD, NOAA, and the Office of Naval Research. Ballard and Energy Research Corporation are the initial clients for the market analysis study.
Army, Navy, to Evaluate Fuel Cells. Energy Research Corporation has received a $3.0 million contract to develop Direct Fuel Cells (DFC) for naval applications. The Navy wants to determine whether the fuel cells would be appropriate for shipboard auxiliary power. H Power Corporation has received a contract from the Army Research Office to develop direct-methanol fuel cells. The Army is interested in the fuel cell for use by soldiers in the field to power communications equipment and computers.
GEF Advisors Recommend Funding Fuel Cell Projects. Advisors to the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which funds projects in developing nations and the former Soviet Union, have recommended that GEF consider funding projects to commercialize hydrogen fuel cells. Advisors noted demonstration projects should be relevant to developing countries, focusing on buses, two- and three-wheeled vehicles and locomotives.
Mercedes Emissions Testing Lab Opens. Fuel cell vehicles will eventually be tested at a new emission test laboratory opened in Long Beach, California, by Mercedes-Benz of North America. The lab will initially be used to measure vehicle emissions during "real-world durability testing." The lab will also contain equipment to test future fuel cell and battery-electric vehicles.
(Fuel Cells 2000) |
