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Technology Stocks : Ballard Power -world leader zero-emission PEM fuel cells -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Graham Dellaire who wrote (2639)	5/27/1998 3:18:00 PM
From: Hawkeye	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5827

Hopefully the recent declines are market related and that recent blurb over the glass membrane isn't spooking people. It doesn't warrant that type of reaction IMHO. A discovery in a lab is a long way from actual use in the end product and there are so many questions to be answered before it ever becomes an issue. No info is given on the product's weaknesses or cost to manufacture or any other attributes from a commercialization standpoint. They say it stands up better at high temperatures than some organic membranes but the fact is that PEM fuel cells don't really operate at high temperatures. Which is an advantage from a cost standpoint because higher temperatures= higher cost components since you have to use metals instead of cheaper plastic parts. You would need a cost benefit analysis comparing it to Ballard's proprietary membrane before you could reach any conclusions either way. Remember that Ballard's membrane is proven to work, over thousands of hours, and to be manufacturable at what they believe will be commercial cost levels. The membrane is simply one part of many which have to be made to work together. No one else has done as good a job as BLD so far. It reminds me of when the direct methanol fuel cell was first shown. It sounded like a threat until one realized it is where PEM's were 10 years ago in term of development. Regards