FuelCellsWorks

Oslo– Following a recent signing ceremony with Norwegian officials, it was made public today, that a large demonstration project called H2MOVES on electric vehicles with fuel cells will take place in Scandinavia the coming years. The project will bring seventeen of the latest state‐ of‐the‐art electric vehicles with fuel cells from Daimler and FIAT to Oslo including the establishment of a large scale hydrogen refuelling station in the city by H2 Logic. This is to advance the commercialisation of hydrogen for transport in Scandinavia as well as connecting the region with the strong German initiatives within the area. The project has a budget of € 19,5 million financed by company contributions as well as European and national funding from Norway and Denmark.

Electric vehicles with fuel cells that run on hydrogen are seen to be one among several sustainable supplements to fossil fuels enabling the same convenient transportation as today.

Ten Mercedes‐Benz B‐class F‐CELL cars from Daimler (Germany), two Alfa Romeo MiTo fuel cell vehicles from Centro Ricerche FIAT (Italy) and five electric city cars with fuel cell range extension from H2 Logic (Denmark) will in 2011 be provided for daily operation in Oslo and on specific tours in southern Norway and the whole Scandinavian region.

Thanks to its long range of around 400 kilometres and short refuelling times, the Mercedes‐Benz B‐Class F‐CELL combines local zero‐emission mobility with long‐distance comfort and compelling performance. Driving pleasure and performance on a par with a 2.0‐litre petrol car come courtesy of the 100‐kW/136‐hp electric motor, which develops effortlessly superior torque of 290 Nm. The B‐Class F‐CELL consumes the equivalent of 3.3 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC).

The Alfa Romeo MiTo Fuel Cell car combines the high innovation of a green hydrogen vehicle with the “happiness” to drive a small sport vehicle. The MiTo uses a Nuvera Fuel Cell stack combined with a compact Li‐ion traction battery pack to supply power to the electric motor; this allows the vehicle to reach a top speed of 150 km/h and to perform an acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometres in 10 sec, with hydrogen consumption of 3.2 lde/100 km and a range of 450 kilometres in NEDC, thanks to 700 bar H2 tanks.

A hydrogen refuelling station from H2 Logic will be designed and built in Oslo. The objective is to provide hydrogen with a fully integrated purchase interface and in an urban environment within one of the densest hydrogen fuelling station network in Europe. The station will comply with the latest international hydrogen refuelling standard SAE J2601 that ensures a safe and fast refuelling in few minutes with the same ease of use and convenience as today. The hydrogen supply will be based on a combination of onsite production and trucked‐in hydrogen, all based on Norwegian electricity of which more than 90% is based on renewable hydro and wind power.

During the project some of the fuel cell vehicles will be employed on a European hydrogen vehicle demonstration tour, coordinated by Hydrogen Sweden and in collaboration with the European Regions’ and Municipalities’ Partnership on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (HyRaMP).

 For the on‐site refuelling of hydrogen during the vehicle demonstration tours H2 Logic will also develop a mobile hydrogen refuelling concept for provision of almost 100% CO2 free hydrogen. A safety and certification study will be carried out by TÜV SÜD, (Germany) and SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden to identify the certification gaps in Scandinavia to accelerate full commercialization of vehicles and fuelling stations.

The € 19,5 million project called H2MOVES will be the first large scale demonstration project supported by the newly established European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Programme. This collaborative public private partnership whose total budget amounts to €1 billion to be invested by 2014 supports the H2MOVES project together with national funds from the Norwegian “Transnova programme” and the Danish “EUDP programme” as well as industry contributions.

“These initiatives will help take yet another crucial step towards the mass production of electric vehicles with fuel cells around 2015 and the establishment of sufficient infrastructure to provide renewable hydrogen”, said Dr. Ulrich Bünger, of Ludwig‐Bolkow‐Systemtechnik, Germany Project Coordinator of H2MOVES Scandinavia.

“One of the key technology contributions in the fight against climate change will be the electrification of the drive train in cars and city busses. The combination of batteries and fuel cells allow the drivers to enjoy the same range, and even better comfort and performance than commercially available vehicles provide today”, said Dr. Steffen Møller‐Holst, at SINTEF, Norway Project Coordinator of H2MOVES Oslo.

By JESSIE SAWYER

TORRINGTON — Gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy visited the FuelCell manufacturing plant in Torrington on Tuesday to meet with FuelCell CEO R. Daniel Brdar and staff about how to make a governmental push for fuel cell energy and create jobs locally.

“By the government and the industry working together and setting policy to grow the domestic market and create jobs, it becomes the export base,” Brdar said to Malloy. “While we’re glad to see that happening, because it’s created a lot of demand for us, this technology that we develop with U.S. taxpayer dollars is creating more job in Korea than it is here.”

FuelCell has clients in South Korea, California and Connecticut. Malloy said that he appreciates that FuelCell’s services are used on the west coast and internationally, he wishes that fuel cell energy played a more integral role in Connecticut.

“The most disturbing factor is that so much of the product is going to South Korea as opposed to being installed here in Connecticut and that our state government doesn’t appear to be the role as full partner as it could to make sure that this technology is put into use in the United States with Connecticut being one of the places to lead,” Malloy said.

FuelCell Energy was founded in 1969 in conjunction with the Energy Research Corporation for studies about eco-friendly energy technology. The company manufactures Ultra-Clean stationary fuel cell power plants in order to reduce congestion in the traditional electricity grid and provide an alternate power source.

Coal, wind and solar energy are other options, but coal emits carbon dioxide into the air, and wind flow and is inconsistent in Connecticut and the weather changes too often in New England to rely solely on the sun for power, said a company representative. Fuel cells electrochemically convert hydrogen into fuel without any combustion or air pollution and FuelCell maintains that this form of energy is the most efficient in terms of performance and low impact to the environment.

Brdar hopes that with the help of the government, FuelCell will lead the charge in alternative energy.

“We’re now shipping these products around the world,” Brdar said. In fact, we’re largely an exporter of the products we’re making and we hope to be on of the fastest-growing companies here in Connecticut.”

Malloy also thought that a higher emphasis on fuel cell energy in Connecticut would create more jobs.

“That’s the way that we would develop the technology in Connecticut. Keep it here, keep the manufacturing process here,” Malloy said. “That’s what would lead to job creation.”

As the United States becomes more technologically advanced, the demand for energy is on the rise. Malloy hopes that the United States and Connecticut will continue to become more involved in providing renewable energy sources as alternatives to oil.

“On a global basis, we know that fossil fuels are endangering our environment. All of the countries, whether they’re big fossil fuel users or smaller, are striving to come up with cleaner technology to improve energy. This is one of those technologies and it operates at a pretty good rate of return for product-in-product-out,” Malloy said. “Connecticut’s leading that, between this company and United Technologies, we have a real corner on the market.”

Malloy was impressed with the FuelCell manufacturing branch’s innovative business ideals in advancing fuel cell energy in Connecticut.

“The facility itself is a knockout. Modern, efficient,” Malloy said after touring the FuelCell facility.

When Malloy was a mayor in Stamford, he advocated alternative energy sources. In 1995, West Hill High School had an electric boiler system, which he moved to replace with gas fuel. That was before advanced studies about fuel cells were underway. He said that converting to gas power alone helped the grid. Malloy would like to see the state government get more involved in promoting fuel cells.

“With the stroke of a pen, you could make renewable energy possible,” Malloy said.

The ongoing debate between hydrogen advocates and supporters of battery-powered vehicles has kind of died down for now, but this latest video of the Hamburg hydrogen bus fleet might whip it up again. The video explains some of the well-known advantages and disadvantages of each technology and it also touches on the dirtier side of going green. There’s some one-sidedness, such as when the discussion turns to the high costs of fuel cell technology and the inherent lack of energy efficiency of hydrogen vehicles, but it’s still an interesting piece to watch.

The gist of the video is pretty simple: hydrogen is expensive, but it can be green; battery power is cheap, but unlikely to be as clean. The video also features the hydrogen-powered buses that roam the roads of Hamburg. As it turns out, those buses get their hydrogen fuel with a little help from the wind and emit nothing but water. How much cleaner can it get? Follow after the jump to watch the bus in action and to get your daily dose of hydrogen versus electric.

[Source: CNN]