FuelCellsWorks

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany– Dethleffs and TV star Till Demtrøder rely on the EFOY fuel cell developed by SFC Smart Fuel Cell in the power supply of their concept vehicle “Cross Country”. Assisted by the TV star, well-known from the TV series “Grosstadtrevier” and “Hallo Robbie”, Dethleffs developed the “Globe4 Cross Country” concept vehicle, which is based on the success-ful Globe4 model. It will be presented at the CMT in Stuttgart, Germany for the first time. The custom-designed vehicle, a showcase of innovative design aspects, combines functional elements with dignified elegance and outdoors experience. The EFOY fuel cell provides reliable independence of the vehicle. It delivers reliable and emission-free energy, and guarantees maximum freedom in remote locations, far from the power grid.
”The Cross Country is a very intimate reflection of my way of life,” asserts Till Demtrøder. The vehicle will be his constant companion on the film set providing a mobile oasis. As well, it will accompany him on tour at horse-riding events provid-ing an elegant ensemble in concert with a horse trailer.

”In this project, we were looking for an independent and ecological power supply solution and we found it in the EFOY fuel cell,” explains Thomas Fritz, Managing Director at Dethleffs. ”The EFOY delivers clean off-grid energy and complements a modern, individual, responsible lifestyle, which is what the Globe4 Cross Country also stands for.”
”We are extremely pleased that the EFOY fuel cell was chosen for this unique project,” so Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG. ”The fuel cell provides enormous freedom and the ultimate in comfort because it is a quiet, light-weight and emission-free source of energy – just what more and more RV travelers are looking for.”
The EFOY fuel cell is available from 48 recreational vehicle manufacturers throughout Europe, either preinstalled or as an optional accessory. The fuel cells come in five different models with a charging capacity ranging from 600 to 2,200 watt hours per day. Consuming less than a liter of fuel per kilowatt hour, they are an economical, environmentally friendly, and convenient off-grid power supply for recreational vehicles. The EFOY M5 and M10 fuel cartridges with five and ten liters of fuel, respectively are available at over 1,400 sales points across Europe.

For further information visit www.efoy.com and www.sfc.com.

About SFC Smart Fuel Cell
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG (www.sfc.com) is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power applications serving the leisure, industrial and defense markets.  As one of Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has won numerous innovation awards.  SFC has alliances with leading companies in a wide range of industries.  Unlike most other fuel cell manufacturers, who are in the research and development phase or run subsidized demonstration projects, SFC has shipped more than 16,000 fully commercial products to industrial and private end users for more than five years, and has created a convenient fuel cartridge supply infrastructure. SFC is DIN ISO 9001:2008 certified. SFC is based in Brunnthal, Germany, and has a sales and technical service office in the U.S. SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG is listed in the Prime Standard on the German stock exchange (WKN 756857).

SAN PEDRO, Calif.–Expanding its commitment to bringing cutting-edge, zero-emission solutions to port operations, the Port of Los Angeles is entering into negotiations with Los Angeles-based Vision Industries for the purchase and evaluation of Vision’s hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric trucks. The heavy-duty big-rigs will be tested to evaluate their suitability for short and medium distance cargo-hauling (or “drayage”) operations, and other similar applications.

Vision Industries has been marketing its Class 8 zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric truck for more than a year and will now work with the Port of Los Angeles to further evaluate its performance in the rigorous port trucking environment. The Vision trucks are powered by a combination of a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium batteries and have a potential range of up to 400 miles.

“Los Angeles has been the worldwide leader in reductions in port emissions with initiatives like our highly successful Clean Air Action Plan and Clean Truck Program,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “Our commitment to working with companies that develop zero-emission trucks is another important strategy in our plan to grow Los Angeles green by being a catalyst in testing and bringing to market the most promising emission reduction technologies.”

“The Port’s partnership with Vision Industries reflects our unwavering commitment to pursuing sustainable clean air solutions for the long-term,” said Port Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, Ph.D. “Our success with the Clean Truck Program has motivated us to continue to be at the cutting edge of zero-emission transportation solutions that significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

“We are very pleased to work with the Port of Los Angeles to demonstrate the viability of our zero emission, hybrid electric/hydrogen fuel cell truck,” said Martin Schuermann, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vision Industries. “These vehicles are 30 percent to 40 percent less expensive to operate than diesel trucks. We expect a strong market demand once these trucks are in the hands of California medium and heavy duty equipment operators.”

The Port’s Clean Truck Program, which began in October 2008, has removed thousands of polluting trucks from the Port and delivered at least an 80 percent reduction in air emissions while maintaining an efficient drayage fleet.

Looking forward, the Port of Los Angeles believes that zero emission vehicles will be necessary in coming years in order to contribute to achieving the goals for the transportation and port sectors under California’s AB32 greenhouse gas reduction legislation and the City’s GreenLA initiative. This has led the Port to begin planning for a transition to zero emission vehicles over the next decade.

The Vision Industries trucks will be put through a series of on-road and laboratory tests to demonstrate its usefulness in a variety of drayage duty cycles, including different loads, road conditions and travel distances. Local drayage trucking companies are expected to assist with the demonstration over the next 12 to 18 months, and the University of California at Riverside’s College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) laboratories will help guide the data collection and analysis.

CE-CERT’s partnership with the Port of Los Angeles on this project is expected to help demonstrate the utility of zero emission vehicles in a variety of medium and heavy-duty vehicle applications that extend beyond the port setting. The Port of Los Angeles will be submitting a proposal for funding from the California Energy Commission to help support this project. The California Energy Commission has established an Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program to develop and deploy advanced transportation technologies to help attain the state’s climate change policies.

The Port of Los Angeles will continue working with Balqon Corporation, another Class 8 electric vehicle manufacturer, through an existing contract to demonstrate the use of its fully electric vehicle. The CE-CERT laboratories will also guide these evaluations.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier port and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates 919,000 regional jobs and $39.1 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. A proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles, the Port is self-supporting and does not receive taxpayer dollars.

Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems has torn up its production plans and gone back to the drawing board.

The Business Times

By RONNIE LIM

(SINGAPORE) Rolls-Royce Fuel Cell Systems (RRFCS) – a US$100-200 million alternative-energy joint venture (JV) in which the Singapore government has a stake – has torn up its production plans and gone back to the drawing board.

The project, which was started back in April 2005, had apparently targeted commercial production of its fuel cells this year. These plans may now be pushed back by as much as five years, BT understands.

RRFCS Pte Ltd – the Singapore subsidiary set up by the JV to undertake pilot production of equipment for small but powerful generators using fuel cells – is now in voluntary liquidation.

The JV was looking to make fuel cell-powered generators, each capable of providing a substantial amount of electricity – reportedly enough to power, for instance, 200 households, a hospital, a university or large commercial building.

The fuel cells were to generate electricity by combining fuel and air in an electrochemical reaction.

But BT understands that because of ‘technical issues’, the project has not been able to progress to production stage; hence the closure at this time of the Singapore operation.

‘The project has moved back again into R&D stage, which is being done in the UK and US,’ one source said, the latter because of new US government backing. It is understood that Rolls-Royce’s global fuel cell research is now US-led.

Last September, Rolls- Royce – which established its fuel cell systems US headquarters at Stark State College of Technology – announced that it was expanding its fuel cell research in North Canton, Ohio, adding another 60 jobs there.

Singapore consortium Enertek (comprising EDB Investments, Temasek Holdings and Temasek subsidiary Accuron Technologies), which earlier took a 25 per cent stake, is now understood to have a reduced stake in the JV with Britain’s Rolls-Royce.

‘Singapore’s collaboration in the JV remains,’ one source said. ‘The voluntary liquidation affects just RRFCS Pte Ltd, which was meant for the venture to scale up into the manufacturing stage.’

But this will likely be only around 2016 now, the source said.

Apart from an initial US$100 million, Rolls- Royce and the Singapore consortium were to have invested a further US$100 million in the venture. It is not known how much has been spent so far on the project.

When contacted about the closure of RRFCS’s Singapore operations, an EDB spokesman would only say ‘there is always risk associated with R&D work, and EDB continues to exercise utmost diligence in assessing and managing R&D projects. In the field of fuel cell research, Singapore also continues to build up its capabilities through agencies such as A*Star and Nanyang Technological University.’

Singapore, however, was not unaware of the risks involved.

The JV was a calculated bet at the outset, with then Second Minister for Trade & Industry Vivian Balakrishnan saying at its launch that Singapore must participate in the development of such alternative energy, even though ‘we can’t predict its future and final outcome’.

‘This project has significance . . . It is a model of how Singapore will function, and of Singapore’s niche in the value chain in the future,’ he had said.

Temasek managing director Tan Suan Swee had also cautioned at the time that there were commercial risks involved, in that the technology would not be easy to develop. But, if successful, it would be a major step towards reducing dependence on the world’s limited supply of fossil fuel.

This article was first published in The Business Times.