FuelCellsWorks

ANN ARBOR, MICH. –Adaptive Materials, the leader in manufacturing portable power through solid oxide fuel cells, was recently awarded $3 million through the Centers of Energy Excellence Program (COEE).  The company will use the funding to support the commercialization of its fuel cells within the consumer leisure market.
“Adaptive Materials is ready to move forward the fuel cell technology developed for soldiers in the field to provide portable power to consumers on the go,” explained Michelle Crumm, chief business officer.  “Funding from COEE provides the extra boost we need to break into the consumer market and deliver a truly game-changing technology.  This market expansion will create the meaningful company growth that leads to more jobs for Michigan.”

Adaptive Materials currently manufactures two different fuel cells. A 50-watt fuel cell that delivers portable power to soldiers in the field and a 250-watt unit that powers unmanned military vehicles.  The company’s 250-watt unit is the basis for its RV and consumer leisure market fuel cell; Adaptive Materials’ fuel cells can provide the auxiliary power needed for TVs, radios, laptops, microwaves, and other creature comforts in an RV.

Unlike other fuel cells that run on hydrogen or other hard to source fuels, inexpensive and globally available propane, butane and LPG power all Adaptive Materials fuel cells.  “By focusing our technology on readily-available fuels, Adaptive Materials solved a problem associated with fuel cells: Consumers could certainly find need for a fuel cell, but no fuel to actually sustain the unit,” Crumm added.

The COEE program, administered by the Michigan Economic Development Corp., supports the development, growth and sustainability of alternative energy sectors throughout the state.  Adaptive Materials was selected for the COEE program because of its collaborative work with MichiganWorks!, University of Michigan and its supply-chain infrastructure for commercialization of innovative energy technology.

The COEE program focuses on where the state has competitive advantages in areas of the workforce, intellectual property and natural resources but where funding is required to overcome technical and supply-chain hurdles that could prevent or stall the commercialization process.

The first reach truck in Germany with fuel cell drive is currently being tested. It is a Still FM-X 20 operating at BASF Coatings AG in Münster.

Münster–The first reach truck in Germany with a fuel cell drive is being tested at BASF Coatings AG in Münster. The other partners in the project are Hoppecke (fuel cell system developer and integrator), Linde Gas (hydrogen fuelling station) and the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, as part of the “progres.nrw” funding programm.

This means that two different trucks with the future oriented drive will be operating at BASF Coatings in an industrial application: A Still FM-X 20 reach truck and an R 60-25 electric truck. The FM-X 20 reach truck delivers finished goods for despatch at the BASF Coatings distribution centre and the R 60 moves manufacturing raw materials from the logistics warehouse to the production. The two trucks are refuelled at the hydrogen fuelling station built on the site.

With this project, Still is the first intralogistics company with experience in operating fuel cell driven tractors, electric fork lift trucks and reach trucks.

Hamburg based Still GmbH has been involved with fuel cells as an alternative to conventional batteries since 2003. Since then Still has been able to gather experience in various projects using this future oriented technology. HHLA Logistics have been operating a Still R 60-25 fuel cell truck in a test operation at the port of Hamburg since 2008 and since the end of 2006 two Still R 07-25 fuel cell tractors have been transporting baggage at Hamburg airport. Hydrogen fuelling stations have also been erected at these locations.

In principle it would also be possible to operate these trucks at locations producing hydrogen (H2) as a by-product. The supply of hydrogen to trucks operating in such areas (H2 clusters) would also benefit greatly from this.

Fuel cell technology will become economically interesting when the production costs for the fuel cell package drop further. Savings are also generated in multi-shift operation because no replacement traction batteries would need to be held.

The opportunities for fuel cell technology will increase with eco-friendly production of hydrogen. This is possible, for example, with solar technology which does not produce any CO2 emissions. In the face of the climate debate, fuel cell technology is therefore gaining weight.

In the long term, fuel cells could replace diesel and LPG engines to further reduce the production of CO2.
Which of the alternative drive technologies will win the race in the future is still an unanswered question. To answer it much more experience from tests is needed.
A further crucial factor is the development of the energy prices.
We see the development of fuel cell technology for materials handling vehicles as an important investment in a sustainable future.

The Hydrogen Technologies Department of AJUSA Company has developed a new power unit that will soon be in the market.

This power unit “NOIL 5000 AC UPS” has as a great innovation the uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. This power unit is capable of delivering up to 5000W continuously with a pure sine wave at 230VAC 50Hz, the time switching between the grid and the fuel cell system is 0ms.

This power unit is completely finished, ready for use by the final user, because it has a cooling system of fuel cell, air supply and humidification, power electronics and control and storage of electrical energy. The user only needs supply hydrogen.

Houston – The Cicero-North Syracuse High School Performance Engineering Team and a hydrogen fuel-cell car it designed won third place overall out of 39 teams Sunday at the national Shell Eco-Marathon Americas 2010 competition in Houston.

The team, led by C-NS technology education teacher Marty Miner, designed a one-person car that can travel the equivalent of 1,837 miles per gallon on a six-mile course on Houston streets, said Ted Kliszczewicz, a professional engineer and senior training instructor for Carrier Corp., who was in Houston with the team.

That mark won the team first place in the hydrogen fuel-cell classification, ahead of four college teams that entered hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, Kliszczewicz said.

The students participating are Kevin Thyne, Joe Scheuer, Michele “Mike” Madonna, Max Desousa, Nick Pietricola, Dan Pietricola, Steve Cusumano, Michael Ann Baker, Alex Julian and Tyler Mannise.

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