FuelCellsWorks

Under the CEP banner, strong partners are jointly developing the fuel of the future. With Toyota joining the partnership, the construction of new filling stations, and the establishment of additional hydrogen centres, the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) is resolutely advancing on its path to creating sustainable mobility. The CEP sends out an important signal and with the assistance of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS) is investing in a sustainable energy supply as well as the development of Germany as a business location.

The year 2010 started dynamically for the Clean Energy Partnership: with Toyota coming on board, the CEP has gained another strong partner from the automotive industry, further raising its international profile. Rainer Bomba, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (BMVBS), said: “Germany aims to be the lead market for electric mobility. What has happened here today shows that we are on the right track. The future of transport lies in the electrification of the propulsion systems. No single technology will be enough to solve this challenge on its own. Therefore, we are pursuing a non-technology-specific approach with our programmes and are promoting both battery and hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The industry, together with the German Federal Ministry of Transport, has earmarked around EUR 2 billion for this.”

The new partner will help ensure that innovations from Germany go on to become global technical standards. Toyota and the CEP partners seek to build a sustainable society with the help of hydrogen technology, and to pave the way into an era of zero-emissions mobility. Toyota will contribute five FCHV-adv fuel-cell hybrid vehicles to the partnership by 2011, so there will then be a total of 40 emission-free cars from six car manufacturers on the road in Berlin and Hamburg.

Tadashi Arashima, President & CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: ” We firmly believe that fuel cell hybrid vehicles, or FCHVs, will play a major role in reducing emissions and in achieving sustainable mobility, alongside petrol Hybrids, Plug-in Hybrids and pure electric vehicle. These various applications of full hybrid technology will each play their role and co-exist in the future. Toyota aims at the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles around 2015. To achieve this goal, needless to say, a hydrogen charging infrastructure is necessary. So, a close tie-up between car manufacturers and infrastructure companies are of vital importance. “

In Germany during the “Year of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells”, the World Hydrogen Energy Conference (WHEC) in Essen, May 16-21, 2010 and the “Energy in Transition” information campaign will focus attention on the vast potential of hydrogen as a source of renewable energy. With the construction of the first CO2-free filling station by CEP’s partner TOTAL at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and the opening of a hydrogen filling station on Holzmarktstrasse by the partners Linde, Statoil and TOTAL in the spring, the CEP is actively supporting the continuous expansion of the hydrogen Infrastructure with the help of the BMVBS. Other filling stations in Berlin, Hamburg and along the A24 autobahn are in planning. The integration of renewable energy plays a major role in this. The declared objective of the Clean Energy Partnership is to increase the proportion of hydrogen produced using renewable energy to 50%. It is currently in talks with the German states of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia in order to set up and integrate additional hydrogen centres, and thereby guarantee re-fuelling opportunities nationwide.

Dr. Klaus Bonhoff, Chairman of the Management Board of NOW GmbH (National Organisation for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology), declared: “The CEP is a success story of the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme. The international interest it is receiving and Toyota’s becoming a partner confirm that the private sector around the world is banking on hydrogen with fuel cells as an efficient and sustainable technology. We need these new technologies to introduce renewable energies to the transport sector, and use them there efficiently. Otherwise we will not reach the global climate targets.”

The aim of the Clean Energy Partnership – an alliance of 13 leading companies – is to establish hydrogen as the “fuel of the future.” Among the organisations involved in this trailblazing project are major technology, oil and energy players, as well as the majority of German car manufacturers and two leading public transport companies. Members include Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), BMW, Daimler, Ford, GM/Opel, Hamburger Hochbahn, Linde, Shell, StatoilHydro, TOTAL, Toyota, Vattenfall Europe and Volkswagen. Since 2008, the CEP has also received funding from Germany’s National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme (NIP).

SAN DIEGO, CA– California-based ISE Limited’s (TSX: ISE) hybrid-electric fuel cell bus is now in operational service at SunLine Transit — a nationally recognized environmentally conscious public transit agency based in Thousand Palms, CA.

Produced at ISE’s corporate headquarters, the hybrid-electric fuel cell drive system is an identical configuration to the 20 ISE-powered buses that make up the world’s largest zero-emission fleet operated by BC Transit in Canada. The core components of ISE’s hybrid-electric drive system in this bus are lithium-based energy storage, software controls, and robust power electronics. This bus was unveiled at SunLine’s 3^rd Annual State of Public Transit Luncheon on February 19, 2010, which included Vincent Valdes, FTA’s Associate Administrator for Research, Demonstration, and Innovation as the keynote speaker. Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack’s chief of staff, Frank Cullen, filled in for Ms. Mack who was unable to attend the event. The Congresswoman has supported SunLine’s clean alternative fuel initiatives for many years.

Andrew Worley, VP of Program Management at ISE, stated, “Our competitively-priced, Advanced Technology fuel cell bus lowers the barrier to entry for transit agencies that want to take the next step in sustainability with an alternatively fueled hybrid option for under $2 million.”

SunLine Transit Agency General Manager, C. Mikel Oglesby, said, “We are proud to work with ISE in the implementation of the 6^th Generation Fuel Cell bus and look forward to learning more about the technology that will lead to the commercialization of 40′ fuel cell vehicles.”

Alex Bernasconi, Sr. VP of Sales and Marketing at ISE, added, “ISE is thankful to work with SunLine and for the Transit Agency’s role in advancing hydrogen fuel technologies.”

Public funding that made the project possible was provided by the California Air Resources Board, CalStart, the Air Quality Management District, the California Fuel Cell Partnership, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Department of Transportation. In addition to ISE’s hybrid-electric fuel cell drive system, SunLine’s Advanced Technology fuel cell bus also incorporates a 150kW fuel cell manufactured by Ballard Power Systems and an advanced bus chassis and body manufactured by New Flyer.

About ISE Limited
ISE Limited is a leading developer, manufacturer and distributor of heavy duty hybrid-electric drive systems based on our core proprietary technology, which is focused on three critical subsystems: energy storage, controls software and power electronics. ISE specializes in series hybrid-electric and all-electric/zero emission technologies, and offers industry-leading energy storage systems and hybrid system components. Over the past 10 years, ISE has sold over 300 hybrid-electric drive systems that have demonstrated reliability and performance in over 12 million miles of fleet operation.

Established in 1995, ISE is headquartered in San Diego, California. ISE’s history of innovation and technological leadership has resulted in the design and development of systems and components that deliver superior operating performance. For more information visit www.isecorp.com.

Heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. is teaming up with Boeing Co. to develop fuel cells for aircraft that will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions during flight.

The fuel cells will go into practical use as early as 2016, the companies said. They will be used for onboard power supply and are expected to cut jet fuel consumption used for power generation by about 14 percent.

Onboard electricity is supplied by a generator powered by the jet engine.

When the jet engine’s output rises, such as when the aircraft is flying at high altitudes, extra electricity is generated and water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen.

The fuel cells will use the hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity through a chemical reaction when the jet engine’s output falls; for example, when the aircraft descends.

According to Boeing, 93 percent of jet fuel in an aircraft is used for propulsion, with the remainder used to generate power.

UPS Systems’ managing director Tom Sperrey has forecasted significant commercial growth for the UK fuel cell industry.

While countries like Germany, Japan and America have embraced fuel cell technology, the UK has until now lagged behind with high capital costs serving as a major barrier to widespread adoption of fuel cell technology.

However, Tom Sperrey believes the UK fuel cell landscape is to change in the next 12 months as costs fall with new products entering the market.

“2010 is bringing with it a new wave of fuel cell activity. Already new products are launching into the market and companies continue to show interest in learning more about fuel cells and adopting clean technology. We are currently discussing fuel cell system roll-outs with several major corporates and NGOs.

“Under a grant from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) we are part of a consortium working to develop new technologies that reduce the use of expensive materials in fuel cells. As these developments are rolled out commercially, we expect capital costs to fall and make the technology financially attainable for more businesses.

“Growth hotspots at present are traffic signalling, remote monitoring and security using smaller hydrogen and methanol fuel cells with power ranges between 25W to 150W for prime power and up to 15kW for standby power. Because smaller fuel cells are reliable, durable and portable, they are better suited to these types of applications.

“In these growth hotspots, fuel cells offer extended runtimes, for example, a fuel cell equipped with a 28 litre canister of methanol can easily operate equipment continuously for up to six months without human interference, therefore reducing the costs of manpower, transport and materials costs associated with sending someone to replace batteries on a regular basis.

“Smaller units have the potential to revolutionise the UK fuel cell industry. They are suitable for a range of applications and are proven technology in a growing number of commercial installations. With falling capital costs, and increased savings through lower running and maintenance costs, these smaller units are beginning to achieve widespread adoption across the UK. As capital costs fall, further applications become viable and create greater demand for fuel cells as an alternative and sustainable source of power.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — General Automotive Company (OTCBB:GNAU), a North American provider of aftermarket parts and advanced technology for the automotive industry, today announced a revised joint venture with SenCer Inc. to develop, commercialize and market SenCer’s groundbreaking UltraTemp™ ceramic composite materials for accelerating the development of energy-efficient, environmentally friendly fuel cell technologies. The joint venture, now called Green Cell, Inc., will also advance the development of next-generation oxygen sensors and igniters

A Rochester, NY-based research firm known for its engineering expertise in advanced ceramic systems, SenCer Inc. has developed a series of next-generation ceramic fiber/ceramic matrix composite materials with a wide variety of applications, including fuel cell for powering automotive engines. The goal of the joint venture will be to develop a series of prototypes that will significantly advance the process of commercializing and, ultimately, mass producing fuel cells, oxygen sensors, igniters, as well as other products.

Dan Valladao, president and CEO of General Automotive, said: “This Joint Venture could be a real game changer for many products within the automotive industry including fuel cells, brakes, and oxygen sensors. We are very excited about GreenCell and its extraordinary potential.”

About General Automotive Company

General Automotive Company (”GAC”) is focused on expanding its operating growth platform through multiple and ongoing acquisitions of successful niche manufacturing companies in the automotive industry. Currently General Automotive has 2 operating subsidiaries. OE Source (”OES”) is a provider of original equipment and aftermarket automotive parts and related automotive products. Their customers include large, multi-national distributors, manufacturers, and OEM providers. OES specializes in engine management products such as O2 sensors, which is a rapidly growing and government mandated segment of the auto supply industry. General Automotive is also a partner in GreenCell Inc., a joint venture with SenCer Inc., a New York based ceramic technology company. GreenCell, with its new advanced ceramics proprietary technology, can be a potential game changer in multiple automotive products including oxygen sensors, brakes and SOFC fuel cells for powering automobiles.