Hydrogen - Gazette

The news letter of HyWeb and the German Hydrogen Association (DWV)

2^nd Quarter 1999 – 3^rd Year ã L-B-Systemtechnik GmbH

Fuel Cell agreement between ECO and H Power (99-06-29)

The topical quotation (99-06-22)

Ford opens research centre at Aachen; cars shall go "green"; fuel cell prototype P2000 in Europe for the first time (99-06-22)

World Health Organization: More deaths caused by car emissions than by accidents (99-06-22)

Canadian venture created for establishing a fuel distribution network for fuel cell vehicles (99-06-22)

Proton Energy Systems – the Hydrogen By Wire™ company (99-06-22)

Scientific press conference "Automobile Fuel Cell Cure?" (99-06-07)

Honda announces to build first fuel cell cars by 2003 (99-06-07)

Plug Power and Epyx demonstrate fuel cell using gasoline (99-06-07)

Field test planned with small stationary fuel cells in Oregon (99-06-07)

German association for renewable energy economy created (99-06-07)

Annual report of Worldwatch: We can not proceed like this (99-06-07)

Aluminium is no substitute for hydrogen and fuel cells (99-06-07)

How not to get rid of carbon dioxide (99-06-07)

Correction to: Alstom Ballard GmbH to build fuel cell factory in Dresden, Germany (99-06-07)

Alstom Ballard GmbH to build fuel cell factory in Dresden, Germany (99-05-20)

BMW with SOFC as battery replacement (99-05-20)

Southern California Gas invests in Plug Power (99-05-20)

Fuel cell bus to run on liquid hydrogen next year in Berlin (99-05-20)

US senator proposes tax credits for alternative fuels (99-05-20)

US companies form Joint venture for electric vehicles in Germany (99-05-20)

Munich: First public liquid hydrogen filling station opened! (99-05-05)

The topical quotation (99-05-04)

"California Fuel Cell Partnership" – demonstration project with 50 fuel cell vehicles (99-05-04)

General Motors and Toyota team on vehicles of the future (99-05-04)

Honda sees no future for battery cars (99-05-04)

The topical quotation (99-04-13)

For how much longer will the cheap oil last? (99-04-13)

More projects with small stationary fuel cells to come soon (99-04-13)

No major problems with fuel cell recycling (99-04-13)

The topical quotation (99-04-07)

Study shows strong support for hydrogen fuel by bus passengers (99-04-07)

Fuel Cell patented which is fed with air without compressor (99-04-06)

Archives

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Fuel Cell agreement between ECO and H Power

HyWeb, 99-06-29: Energy Co-Opertunity (ECO) of Herndon, Virginia, USA, and H Power Corporation of Belleville, New Jersey, USA, announced on June 16 a partnership to introduce residential and small commercial fuel cell systems to rural electric cooperatives and their customers.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the parties calls for a significant investment in H Power by ECO as part of a long-term strategic partnership. The agreement allows ECO's electric cooperative members the right to acquire exclusive territories in which to sell, distribute, lease, finance and service H Power stationary fuel cells.

ECO, founded in 1998, is the national energy cooperative formed to provide business entry assistance to electric cooperatives seeking to diverify into additional energy service lines.

H Power Corporation, founded in 1989, is a leading developer of PEM fuel cells, electric and hybrid vehicles and systems for hydrogen generation/ purification and storage.

 MA

 

 

 

 

 

The topical quotation

„While my great-grandfather was a leader in the first industrial revolution, I want Ford Motor Company to be a leader in the second industrial revolution – the Clean Revolution. [...]

To achieve his vision, Henry Ford had declared customers could have whatever color they wanted, as long as it was black. To achieve my vision, I am declaring customers can have any vehicle they want, as long as it is green."

William Clay Ford Jr., Ford Motor Company Chairman, Ford press release, June 15, 1999, on the occasion of the opening of Ford’s new $35 million European advanced research center, the Ford Forschungszentrum Aachen, Germany.

See Ford below

 

 

 

 

 

Ford opens research centre at Aachen; cars shall go "green"; fuel cell prototype P2000 in Europe for the first time

DWV, 99-06-22: Ford chairman William Clay ("Bill") Ford Jr., a great-grandson of Henry Ford, inaugurated on 15. June the new Ford Research Centre at Aachen (Germany, near Cologne). 35 M$ were invested in it. Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Northrhine-Westfalia's Prime Minister Wolfgang Clement were among the guests. Schroeder made a test drive with the fuel cell prototype P2000 which had its first appearance on the European stage (HyWeb, 99-02-04).

Ford used the occasion to declare a "Green Revolution" in which his company would take the lead. He said that  his great-grandfather Henry Ford was a leader in the first industrial revolution. His vision of a technology contributing to the well-being of both mankind and nature had been lost out of sight a bit in the past, but this has changed and would change even more. Ford Motor Company would now play a leading role in the second industrial revolution — the "Clean Revolution". He called on European governments to introduce harmonized regulations, taxes and incentives throughout the European Union to assist the rapid introduction of environmentally friendly alternative fuel vehicles. Ford Jr. even varied the words of the patriarch: "To achieve his vision, Henry Ford had declared customers could have whatever colour they wanted, as long as it was black. To achieve my vision, I am declaring customers can have any vehicle they want, as long as it is green."

The Chancellor apparently liked what he heard. "I will be glad to pass the message about green cars to my environment minister." The latter, however, seems to have reserves towards the car. "I do have some experience with the Greens". Personally he apparently liked his test ride with the P2000: "What I have just driven seems to be a real chance. We must wish that people come to terms with the new technology." His demand to car industry and the Ford chairman: "It must not be a technology for just a few who can afford an ecological car."

Before the end of this year Ford will introduce the TH!NK in the European market, a small electric car. The types Focus, Mondeo, and Transit will be available during this year in a bi-fuel version able to run on compressed natural gas or LPG.

Ford's schedule for the market introduction of fuel cell cars is the same as in the case of its partner DaimlerChrysler, namely 2004. This was declared by Bill Ford jr. on the annual shareholders' meeting in May in Detroit. Though the announcement was no surprise to anybody, it was the first explicit statement of the top management about this. The schedule was repeated in Aachen.

DWV; Fotos: Ford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

World Health Organization: More deaths caused by car emissions than by accidents

HyWeb, 99-06-22: According to a notice in the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung of June 16, a study by the World Health Organization WHO revealed that more deaths are caused by car emissions than by car accidents. „Nowhere else humans are exposed to air pollution as they are in traffic, and the exposure levels are on the increase", says Carlos Dora of WHO. „We pay a high price for the excessive increase in traffic in terms of money and in terms of health." The study has been carried out in France, Austria and Switzerland. The main result of the study: Car emissions pollute the air to such an extent that each year 21,000 humans die ahead of time from heart and lung deseases. As a comparison, almost 10,000 casualties are registered in car accidents in these countries. According to the study, each year an additional 300,000 children suffer from bronchitis due to the emissions.

Süddeutsche Zeitung of June 14 furthermore reports that double as many people living close to main traffic corridors die of lung cancer than inhabitants of urban agglomerations on average.

A new study carried out by the environmental agency of the city of Stockholm, Sweden, and the „Karolinska Research Institute" supports this statement, as reported by the German daily newspaper „die tageszeitung" on June 2: One out of ten deaths caused by lung cancer is due to traffic emissions. „The risk of having cancer is increased by 40% for everyone living in residential areas with high traffic densities", says Frederik Nyberg, environmental medical scientist at the Karolinska Insitute. „Diesel emissions are the most dangerous", reports Professor Göran Pershagen, head of the research team. The study further revealed that people working in an environment of air polluted by diesel emissions have a risk of lung cancer which is increased by 70%. The most alarming point is that in none of the cases studied, air pollutant levels exceed current legal limits.

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Canadian venture created for establishing a fuel distribution network for fuel cell vehicles

HyWeb, 99-06-22: On June 11, Petro-Canada of Calgary, Ballard Power Systems of Burnaby and Methanex of Vancouver, all Canada, announced the signing of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding under which the three companies would work together to prepare for the establishment of a commercially viable fuel distribution network to meet the expected market demand for fuel cell vehicles. This includes laying the groundwork for a pilot project involving the supply and distribution of appropriate fuel, including methanol. The three companies will collaborate in identifying a pilot site involving auto manufacturers and implementing the emerging technology at the consumer level.

Canadian Federal Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale applauded the three companies for their committment to made-in-Canada solutions for addressing alternative fuels and the environment.

Methanex, the world-wide largest producer of Methanol according to information provided on the Methanex Internet home page under www.methanex.com, has recently shut down two of its three Canadian methanol production facilities in Medicine Hat, Albert. The first plant with a production capacitiy of 740 tonnes per day (TPD) was shut down in mid-1997, on March 16, 1999 the second plant with a production capacity of 780 TPD was announced to be shut down. The third plant with a production capacity of 1645 TPD as well as the Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada facility with a capacity of 1400 TPD will continue to operate. At the same time, the new low-cost production facility in Chile is currently in the early stages of start-up. The recently shut-down plant „was our smallest and oldest, and it was the least efficient at converting natural gas to methanol. The market for this plant’s product was also very distant from Medicine Hat. These factors, combined with the current environment of low methanol pricing and increased Alberta gas prices mean that the plant is not economic", said Pierre Choquette, Methanex’s President and Chief Executive Officer in the announcement.

Petro-Canada is operator of filling stations in Canada. Petro-Canada is also active in the field of alternative fuels being partner in a joint venture to develop a cellulose-based ethanol fuel using waste products from the forestry and agriculture industries (HyWeb, 97-12-01). Construction of the plant is currently underway. „Whatever the future energy mix may be, Petro-Canada intends to remain a pre-eminent supplier of fuels to meet the changing needs of Canadians", says Jim Stanford, CEO of Petro-Canada.

This announcement follows an earlier signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Ballard and Methanex to promote the commercialization of methanol fuel cells on July 28, 1997.

MA

 

 

 

Proton Energy Systems – the Hydrogen By Wire™ company

HyWeb, 99-06-22: Proton Energy Systems of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, USA, developer of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Electrolyzers calling itself the Hydrogen By Wire™ company, starts into commertialization of its products (HyWeb, 98-05-29). The recently published first edition of the corporate news letter „The Hydrogen WIRE" gives some examples of this move towards commercialization:

• Proton announces the start-up of the fourth PEM hydrogen generator of the socalled HOGEN 380 series with a capacity of 380 standard cubic feet per hour (10 Nm³/h) in Tempe, Arizona, USA at an Arizona Public Service Company power plant in May of this year.
• The third unit, a HOGEN 300, was started in Idaho Falls, USA, in April.
• Proton’s marketing and sales efforts are directed towards selling HOGEN units to industrial gas suppliers and similar resellers.
• Proton has retained TÜV Rheinland as auditor for the company’s ISO 9001 certification program, which is due to be finished by October 1999.
• Proton is focused on worldwide application of HOGEN™ onsite PEM hydrogen generation and has chosen to design and manufacture HOGEN equipment according to CE standards (European Safety certification). Proton expects to begin shipping CE-stamped units by January 1, 2000.

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scientific press conference "Automobile Fuel Cell Cure?"

HyWeb, 99-06-07: On May 11^th, the scientific press conference took place in Bonn, Germany, on the subject "Automobile Fuel Cell Cure?". Satements were given by Prof. Dr. Andreas Troge and Reinhard Kolke, Umweltbundesamt (UBA - German Federal Environmental Agency), Gert Lottsiepen, Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. (VCD - German Mobility Club) and Jörg Schindler, Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH (LBST).

The statements will be summarized in the following:

UBA:

• The reduction of direct emissions by gasoline passenger cars with internal combustion engines (ICE) to be reached by ULEV and EURO 4 standards will be sufficient to reach the necessary air qualitiy goals in Germany.
• Fuel Cell (FC) Vehicles powered by hydrogen from renewable electricity has the best emissions balance of all possible alternatives; this refers to direct emissions as well as to carbon dioxide.
• The costs-effects analyses carried out by UBA hint at emissions reductions and ressource preservation being realized by optimized ICE cars with reduced fuel consumption and lowest emissions at much lower costs than by FC vehicles.
• From the environmental point of view, the concept of fuel cells in transportation is regarded as not cost efficient for the time being.
• The use of fuel cells in stationary applications is regarded as promising.

VCD:

• FC drive will not be available on the market before the next 5 to 10 years. I.e. it will be available when conventional tailpipe emissions reduction technology will have reduced emissions to an extent that air qualitiy goals will be achieved.
• Hydrogen will in the beginning mainly be produced from fossile energies such as natural gas. It doubtful whether FC vehicles will have a CO₂ emissions advantage over optimized ICE vehicles.
• Independant of the question whether FC vehicles will be on the market within 5, 10 or 20 years, the reduction of fuel consumption in conventional cars is indispensable.
• The most effective measure to reduce emissions caused by transportation is by avoiding traffic or by providing the necessary mobility by environmental modes of traffic: going by foot, bike, public transport.
• The environmental objectives can be reached more cost effectively by a fundamental change in transportation (less traffic, more environmental modes of traffic) than by new propulsion concepts, the environmental balance of which are questionable.

LBST:

• Hydrogen fuel opens the way for renewable energies into the transportation sector.
• To use fuel cells instationary or mobile applications is the wrong alternative. Both fields of application have to be developed.
• FC propulsion systems and hydrogen are ideal partners in a combination of highest efficiency and highest cleanness. After few years of development only, the efficiency of FC drives is significantly higher than that of diesel drives.
• Hydrogen propulsion systems based on ICEs allow for near zero local emissions; FC vehicles are true zero emission vehicles (ZEV).
• Hydrogen is a secondary energy carrier that can be produced in many ways from fossile and renewable primary energies.
• This is an effective and sustainable means of reducing and eliminating CO₂ emissions from transportation in the mid and long term.
• The are no fundamental reasons why FC propulsion should not be able to reach cost goals necessary for the successful market entry.
• How clean is clean enough? Regional markets with effects on the rest of the world (like California preparing to be the de facto world-wide benchmark in this respect) have decided to require zero emission vehicles (ZEV) to be introduced to the market. The car industry must and will react to this requirement.
• Renewable energies in transportation are a must in the mid and long term. This is not only for emissions and climate protection reasons, but also for reasons of fossil fuel availability.

The full statements are available in German language only.

MA

 

 

 

 

Honda announces to build first fuel cell cars by 2003

HyWeb, 99-06-07: According to a Bloomberg report of June 5^th and a calstart news note of February 5^th, Honda Motor Co. said it will spend between 50 billion yen and 60 billion yen ($419 million and $500 million) to introduce a fuel cell powered vehicle by 2003. A first prototype is expected for the year 2000 (HyWeb, 99-05-04).

Japan's third-largest automaker plans to build 300 fuel cell powered vehicles a year starting in 2003 for sale in Japan and the U.S., said Takeo Fukui, managing director in charge of research and development. The car - to be based on the EV Plus compact electric sedan - will run on fuel cells that will be lighter and more compact than those currently offered by Ballard Power Systems Inc., a leader in the field, he added. Honda's system includes a methanol reformer to convert the liquid fuel into hydrogen.

"Fuel-cell vehicles will probably overtake gasoline-powered cars in the next 20 to 30 years,'' Fukui said.

Tokyo-based Honda is working with three companies to develop the fuel cells, Fukui said. While methanol is regarded as safe and readily available, its high water content may cause existing gasoline storage tanks to rust, letting the fuel leak out and pollute ground water.

"If gas stations aren't allowed to store methanol, we'll be able to switch to pure hydrogen,'' Fukui said.

MA

 

 

Plug Power and Epyx demonstrate fuel cell using gasoline

HyWeb, 99-06-07: According to a Plug Power press release of May 20^th, Plug Power and Epyx demonstrated the operation of a Plug Power fuel cell stack combined with an Epyx gasoline fuel processor in a DoE sponsered program. Fuel utilization during the testing met the expected interim targets on the way to achieving an overall 40% system efficiency, according to the release.

At the end of the program, Plug Power and Epyx will deliver a fully integrated automotive fuel cell system that can power a full-sized car. Gasoline is considered the most technically challenging fuel to work with. Current testing was performed using low sulfur gasoline. Over the next few weeks, the team will also demonstrate operation on California Phase II reformulated gasoline, ethanol, methanol, M-85, and natural gas.

The press release left open which are the advancements compared to the demonstration of a gasoline-to-electricity system by the two companies in 1997 (HyWeb, 99-10-22). Nor was there any hint to the question whether the system was operated in a steady state or with the full dynamics required by a car propulsion system.

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Field test planned with small stationary fuel cells in Oregon

DWV, 99-06-07: Starting in autums Bonneville Power Administration (Portland, Oregon) will buy 110 fuel cells at 3 kW_el from Northwest Power Systems and use ten of them in an alpha test. The other 100 are for a beta test. The units will cost 30.000 $, but with greater production volume the price in expected to drop to 10.000 $. The results of preliminary experiments during the last two years were so encouraging that the company will not make the step towards greater numbers.

DWV

 

 

German association for renewable energy economy created

DWV, 99-06-07: Eight companies involved in renewable energy have founded the Association for Renewable Energy Economy (Verband für regenerative Energiewirtschaft, VREW) in Berlin, reports Frankfurter Rundschau on 25. May. Co-founders are WRE Wasserkraft und Regenerative Energieentwicklung AG in Bad Homburg, Solarstrom AG from Freiburg, and Ökostrom Handels AG from Hamburg. Membership is open for companies who generate or distribute renewable energy or deal with it. Until the end of 2005 companies can be members also if not more of 50 % or their energy is generated in gas-fired co-generation plants with an efficiency of at least 75 %. From 2006 onward, however, only companies dealing purely in renewables will be permitted.

DWV

 

 

Annual report of Worldwatch: We can not proceed like this

DWV, 99-06-07: Worldwatch-Institut identifies the unprecedented global warming as one of the most important environmental threats in its latest annual report. 1998 was warmer that ever before in this century, which was the reason for numerous natural disasters. 300 million people worldwide lost their home at least temporarily, and the total damage was 95 million $. Hurrikan "Mitch" killed 11.000 people and was the worst for the last 200 years.

The general statement of the report is that mankind will not manage its future if the economical methods of the present are simply transferred into the 21st century. There must be a transition to sustainable economics, comparable in size to the industrial revolution. The 21st century must differ from the 20th as much as the latter from the 19th.

DWV

 

 

Aluminium is no substitute for hydrogen and fuel cells

DWV, 99-06-07: An ecologic balance for alternative fuels and driving systems includes the energy used for their production and the emissions associated with this. Sceptics are quick to point to them and to say that the ecological gain by hydrogen and fuel cells could as well be demonstrated by further reduction of the consumption of conventional combustion engines. Lower consumption means mainly lighter vehicles, and this would be achieved by large-scale use of aluminium.

A new study of the Massachussets Institute of Technology (MIT) raises some doubt about this simple idea. The researchers compared the energy needed for aluminium production with the corresponding values for steel. The CO₂ emissions per unit mass of metal are about 10 times as high. In order to realize a true reduction of the emission an aluminium ultra-light vehicle would have to be used about 35 years longer than a conventional one. The figure gets even worse when the emissions of the car are further reduced. This means that the use of aluminium in large amounts would not solve the CO₂ problem, but make it even worse.

The study was made under contract with the US autosteel association and provoked a furious reaction by the association of the aluminium industry. Its factual content, however, was not denied.

DWV

 

 

How not to get rid of carbon dioxide

DWV, 99-06-07: One of the ideas to solve the carbon dioxide problem is to separate the gas at the source and to dig it or to dump it in the ocean in condensed form (sequestration). Liquid CO₂ is heavier than water and should stay at the ground of the sea in suitable depths, covered by a hydrate layer. Recent experiments in depths between 350 and 3600 m show that it is not that easy. In lower depths the hydrate dissolved in the water within seconds, and the gas was released. Only in the deep sea are temperature and pressure suitable to keep the gas there. In depths below 3600 m, however, the gas formed with the water not the hydrate commonly known, but a new form which is not as stable and compact as the other. A permanent disposal on the ground was not observed. A long-time storage of carbon dioxide in the ocean seems to be not realistic in the light of these experiments. The procedure is questionable under ecologic aspects as well because the gas changes the acidity of the water, and the formation of the hydrate releases heat and salt. Nobody can tell whether the highly sensible ecosystems of the deep sea will be able to tolerate this.

There seems to be no way to protect our atmosphere than to avoid the very formation of CO₂. Just dumping or digging what we leave behind is an acceptable behaviour for kittens, not for human beings.

(P. G. Brewer, G. Friedrich, E. T. Peltzer, F. M. Orr: "Direct Experiments on Ocean Disposal of Fossil Fuel CO₂", Science 284 (1999) 943-5; see also http://www.mbari.org/ghgases/deep/release.htm)

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correction to: Alstom Ballard GmbH to build fuel cell factory in Dresden, Germany

On May 25^th, the Hydrogen-Gazette received a comment on the Hydrogen-Gazette article "Alstom Ballard GmbH to build fuel cell factory in Dresden, Germany" (99-05-20) by E-mail from John Bugge of Energy Development, Norway, distributor of Zevco alkaline fuel cells:

"I read that Alstom Ballard GmbH is to build 'Europe's first fuel cell factory'. This is not the case, Zevco has been manufacturing Alkaline Fuel Cells in Belgium for some time already, and will increase their production capacity with a new line this summer. Check out www.zevco.co.uk for other interesting details."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alstom Ballard GmbH to build fuel cell factory in Dresden, Germany

HyWeb, 99-05-20: According to a December 18^th, 1998 Alstom press release, Alstom is to invest 25 million Euro in the creation of Europe’s first fuel cell factory in Dresden, Saxony, Germany. The investment follows an agreement signed between Alstom and Ballard Generation Systems of Canada at the begionning of 1998, for the realisation of the joint venture Alsom Ballard GmbH.

The 250 kWe fuel cell system to be manufactured at the new factory will be used in electric and thermal decentralised power generation plants in the 1 to 10 MW range. The plants will be marketed in Europe and the former Soviet Union.

The market for small decentralised power plants is expected to grow substantially in the coming years, especially in response to the liberalisation of the electricity and gas sectors, according to the release.

The first four systems are to come into service in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium in 1999 and 2000 (HyWeb, 99-08-07).

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BMW with SOFC as battery replacement

HyWeb, 99-05-20: According to information released by BMW, the company develops an SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell [high temperature]) for electricity supply of the car in cooperation with Delphi Automotive Systems. In a reformer, gasoline is transformed into a hydrogen-rich gas at temperatures of 800°C, wich is subsequently transformed into electricity in the fuel cell. According to BMW, the advantages over PEM fuel cells are that SOFCs are less susceptible to impurities in the reformate gas and that no noble metals are needed for the electrodes.

BMW estimates that a further five years are needed for the series introduction. For traction purposes, BMW favors internal combustion engines running on hydrogen over fuel cells (HyWeb, 99-03-08).

MA

 

 

 

 

 

Southern California Gas invests in Plug Power

HyWeb, 99-05-20: On April 20^th, Southern California Gas Co., a subsidiary of Sempra Energy and the largest natural gas distribution utility in the USA, anounced to invest US-$ 7.5 million in residential fuel cell developer Plug Power of Latham, New York, USA (HyWeb, 99-02-17).

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel cell bus to run on liquid hydrogen next year in Berlin

DWV, 99-05-12: World's first fuel cell bus running on liquid hydrogen in regular passenger service  will start operating next year in Berlin. It will be put in service at the opening of the world exhibition Expo 2000 in July and run between the train station Zoologischer Garten and Tegel airport. On a press conference on 12. May Dieter Ernst stated for the senator for economy that the emission load of the air in Berlin could be significantly reduced by such a zero emission vehicle. The project would create a new standard for environmentally benign public transportation.

After nine months in Berlin the bus will be operated in Copenhagen and Lisbon for three months each to find out how different climatic conditions and terrains affect it. A site for a hydrogen filling station is being determined in Berlin together with the mineral oil companies. It will be integrated in a normal filling station with the usual service.

The bus is made by MAN, the PEM stack is delivered by de Nora, integration of the PEM stack is done by Air Liquide. 350 l of liquid hydrogen are carried in two containers on the roof.

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

 

US senator proposes tax credits for alternative fuels

DWV, 99-05-20: Orrin Hatch, republican senator for Utah, has introduced a bill in the congress according to which the purchase of alternative fuels (natural gas, methanol, hydrogen, electricity), of corresponding vehicles and the infrastructure will be supported by tax credits, according to today's Deseret News. The amount will be approximately 0,12 Euro/l for fuel (it is not clear how the different energy densities will be accounted for), 10 % up to a maximum of 4000 $ for vehicles and 5000 $ more for the purchase of an electric vehicle with a range of more than 160 km and 100.000 $ for construction and installation of a filling station for them.

Hatch said that in Utah the car traffic is responsible for 87 % of the CO emissions and for the majority of the emissions which lead to ozone. But he thinks it will not be practical to do away with the cars. The solution, he says, is a strong move towards alternative fuels. Consumers, however, will only be interested in them if a strong infrastructure develops.

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

US companies form Joint venture for electric vehicles in Germany

DWV, 99-05-20: The three US companies Energy Conversion Devices (ECD), EV Global Motors and Unique Mobility have formed a joint venture under the name Unique Mobility Europa GmbH with seat near Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). ECD is a spezialist für batteries, EV Global Motors a company for light electric vehicles founded by former Detroit manager Lee Iacocca, and Unique Mobility specializes on electric drives. The purpose of the new company is to manufacture and sell battery-electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cell-electric vehicles for world markets. According to a press release the first product will be a battery-electric minivan using an innovative composite structure, which will be distributed by means of selected Volkswagen dealers.

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

 

First public hydrogen filling station opens in Munich

Hyweb, 99-05-05. Dr. Otto Wiesheu, the Bavarian Minister of Economics, Traffic and Technology marked the start of a two year pilot operation of the world's first public liquid hydrogen filling station and of a compressed gaseous bus refueling station today. The filling stations which are located at the Munich airport are part of the hydrogen demostration project H2MUC, where first one passenger car (several additonal ones to follow) and three airport buses are converted to hydrogen propulsion. To demonstrate a wide spectrum of hydrogen technologies several production paths, storage systems and refueling facilities are operated side by side. The passenger car is operated with liquid hydrogen and refueled in a robot refueling station. The buses are operated with compressed hydrogen and are refueled manually. The gaseous hydrogen is produced with an electrolyzer at the filling station and stored in pressure vessels and in a metal hydride storage. The liquid hydrogen is trucked onsite from a Bavarian liquefaction plant with a tank trailer and transfered into a stationary super-insulated storage.

Further project information and official press releases

 

VB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The topical quotation

Mike Bowlin, chief executive of Atlantic Richfield Co., the parent company of ARCO gasoline stations, was quoted in the Detroit News of April 27^th as saying that the days of the internal combustion engined were numbered. The future, Bowlin said, is in fuel cells.

(see California Fuel Cell Partnership below)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"California Fuel Cell Partnership" – demonstration project with 50 fuel cell vehicles

HyWeb, 99-05-04: On April 20^th, DaimlerChrysler announced it will test five fuel cell vehicles in California by 2001 as part of a unique public/private partnership to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell cars as an alternative drive solution.

DaimlerChrysler, along with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the California Energy Commission, Ballard Power Systems, Ford Motor Company, ARCO, Shell and Texaco have created the "California Fuel Cell Partnership" to advance automotive fuel cell technology.

"For the first time ever, fuel companies are joining with automobile companies to demonstrate fuel cell vehicles under real day-to-day driving conditions," said DaimlerChrysler Chairman Robert Eaton.

The California Fuel Cell Partnership plans to place about 50 fuel cell passenger cars and electric buses on the road between 2000 and 2003. DaimlerChrysler's goal is to demonstrate 15 passenger vehicles in California by 2003 as part of the project. The 20 fuel cell buses will be tested in collaboration with local bus operators. The fuel cells will be delivered by Ballard.

In addition to testing the fuel cell under typical driving conditions, the partners will identify fuel infrastructure issues and begin preparing the California market for the new technology. The energy providers will supply a variety of fuels for the demonstration project, including hydrogen, methanol and potentially a cleaner type of gasoline. DaimlerChrysler is pursuing fuel cell technology in all those fuels and has already shown driveable fuel cell cars running on hydrogen and methanol.

"With NECAR 4, we proved that fuel cell vehicles are technically viable," said Dr. Ferdinand Panik, head of DaimlerChrysler's Fuel Cell Project. "But until now, we haven't had the critical support of the fuel industry and government partners to examine all the infrastructure issues." The Members of the "California Fuel Cell Partnership" welcome other car manufacturers and energy companies to join the partnership.

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Motors and Toyota team on vehicles of the future

HyWeb, 99-05-04: On April 19^th, General Motors Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. announced a five-year collaboration to speed development of advanced technology vehicles in the 21^st century.

The companies have identified more than a dozen advanced vehicle and system projects potentially involving hundreds of engineers that will be researched together.

The agreement calls for development of:

• A common set of electric traction and control components for future battery electric, hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.
• Batteries and battery test procedures, vehicle safety requirements, and continued work on improved inductive charging systems for battery electric vehicles.
• Powertrain and control systems for next generation hybrid electric vehicles.
• Future systems design, fuel selection and processing to support production of fuel cell powered vehicles.

The companies stressed that while the future for advanced technology vehicles is unclear, whatever technology is adopted must be widely available.

“If we are to elevate vehicles with advanced environmental technology into practical use, and have these vehicles widely accepted by the public, we will have to create a trinity comprising innovative technologies, reduced costs and an appropriate infrastructure,” Toyota Executive Vice President Akihiro Wada said. “If one of these three elements is missing, we will be unable to achieve satisfactory results.”

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honda sees no future for battery cars

DWV, 99-05-04: Honda has stopped the development of battery cars because the costs for this are unlikely to be matched by the market success, reports the "Los Angeles Times" of 29. April. The model EV Plus is said to be no more useful as research platform, but did not catch on with the general public either. Most users were business or government agencies which wanted so to fulfill their obligations for emission reduction. During the last three years less than 2400 battery vehicles of any kind have been sold or leased in the whole USA, most in California. The development work will now be directed towards fuel cells. Experts see the decision as an important signal.

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

The topical quotation

"Our investment is part of BP Amoco's wider aim of making solar an increasingly larger contributor to the energy mix of the 21^st century, in line with our determination to offer our customers progressively cleaner fuels with a diminishing impact on the natural environment."

John Browne, Chief Executive of BP Amoco, BP Amoco press release on the occasion of buying the photovoltaics company Solarex, 1999-04-06

 

 

 

 

 

 

For how much longer will the cheap oil last?

HyWeb, 99-04-13: The problem of the limitation of fossil energy reserves is of no interest to the public at the moment. Politics, the industry, the press and environmental groups are amazingly agreed, that although there is principally a resource problem it actually represents no real problem for the next decade and possibly also for generations to come. Although the Club of Rome had made the public aware of this subject at the beginning of the 70’s, and the world then experienced two oil crises, that were able to be overcome within a few years however, there is almost everywhere the feeling today that the problem is not high up in the agenda and deserves very little attention. ....

see our detailed article under www.HyWeb.de/oilcrisis.

MA/WZ

 

 

 

 

 

More projects with small stationary fuel cells to come soon

DWV, 99-04-13: Since the beginning of March the first house in Germany is supplied by a fuel cell with electricity and heat (see HyWeb, 99-03-17), and two projects with similar plants are at hand in Hamburg and Ludwigshafen. The houses in these cases will not be independent of the grid. The cells will, as in Machern, be built by Analytic Power (Boston, USA) and be supplied and serviced by Hamburg Gas Consult, a subsidiary of the Hamburg gas utility Hamburger Gaswerke.

In Wilstorf (Hamburg-Harburg) a cell will be installed in three houses with a total of 38 flats in June. The houses are essentially equal, but differ considerably in terms of heat insulation. This allows to gather experience about the behaviour of the cell as a component of a larger system. The data collected in a test phase of two years will contribute to the reduction of the costs for serially produced fuel cells to the level of a conventional modern heating plant (about 5000 Euro). Serial production is intended for 2002. A Hamburger Gaswerke spokesman said: "We must aim at having a technology in five or six years which is comparable to a quite normal oil heating or district heating system in terms of costs."

Something similar at Ludwigshafen is planned by the natural gas company WINGAS (Kassel), the city utility Technische Werke Ludwigshafen (TWL) and the housing company GEWOGE. By the spring of 2000 they will install a plant which will supply nine families with 3 kW_el und 8 kW_th. The house will additionally be equipped with a special heat insulation. Investments for the project are estimated to be about 250.000 Euro. After installation the plant will undergo a test phase of three years. A university will support the project scientifically.

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

No major problems with fuel cell recycling

DWV, 99-04-13: Even the most progressive plants get old. What shall happen with a fuel cell after the end of its useful life? For the first time in Germany this was studied on the example of a phosphoric ONSI cell of the common type PC 25A. It had been operated by Thyssengas for one year and four years by the city utility of Dueren (NW Germany, near Aachen). Dismounting and recycling were done under the legal provisions. Additionally, Prof. Ledjeff-Hey from the university of Duisburg and his team investigated the components.

The comparatively large loss of power war mainly due to ammonia in the gas conditioning unit, which had damaged the high temperature shift catalyst. This again was due to the rather high nitrogen content of 11 % in the natural gas used at Dueren. Further reasons were loss of acid from the stack and interruptions of the operation. The catalysts of the reformer and of the low temperature shift were in comparatively good condition. The recycling of the platinium (about 1 kg) and the other materials completely covered the recycling costs.

(See G. Wismann, K. Ledjeff-Hey, F. Mahlendorf, W. Schieke: "Post-Mortem-Anlyse und Entsorgung einer phosphorsauren Brennstoffzellenanlage PC 25A", Gaswärme International 48 (1999) 195-200)

DWV

 

 

 

 

 

The topical quotation

"The combination of the energy carrier hydrogen and the fuel cell are the key technology of the 21^st century. This will be a revolution. [...]

When the first filling station was inaugurated in Germany in 1922, nobody believed that gasoline would play such an important role. Today the situation is similar: We are facing the dawn of a new era."

Fritz Vahrenholt, member of the board of directors of Deutsche Shell, Berliner Zeitung, 99-03-18, translation by LBST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Study shows strong support for hydrogen fuel by bus passengers

HyWeb, 99-04-07: A strong support for hydrogen as a fuel in transportation is the result of a study published by L-B-Systemtechnik of Ottobrunn, Germany. The polling of bus passengers was carried out in Munich, Germany, in autumn 1997 in the world-wide first bus powered by hydrogen in regular service in collaboration with Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany.

The passengers clearly support the implementation of more hydrogen buses in the future. On a scale streching from one point (strict disagreement) to five points (complete agreement), the bus passengers support hydrogen fuel with on average 4.5 points and favour the increasing implementation of hydrogen buses even with 4.9 points.

At the beginning of the polling, the passengers aged 14 to 92 were asked to name everything they could think of on the subject of "hydrogen". Almost half of all answers, exactly 39.5%, underline the environmental benefits of the use of hydrogen in transportation. The possible danger of explosion was only mentioned a few times, namely in 5.3% of the cases, as a spontaneous association.

A parallel polling of secondary school students gave a very similar result. However, the direct contact of the bus passengers with the hydrogen technology increases the acceptance of hydrogen.

The bus passengers as well as the school students showed great interest in further information on the clean fuel hydrogen. In addition to the traditional sources of information, the teenagers regard the Internet as an important tool for finding information on this new technology.

The entire study "The Acceptance of Hydrogen Technology" is available in the Internet under www.HyWeb.de/accepth2.

MA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel Cell patented which is fed with air without compressor

DWV, 98-04-06: The Schatz Energy Reseach Center of the Humboldt State University has received a patent for a PEM fuel cell (US-Patent Nr. 5879826). The main invention is a system of feeding hydrogen and air which needs overpressures not higher than 35 kPa (350 mbar). This makes an air compressor superfluous, a component which consumes a considerable part of the energy produced by the cell in most common types. Only a relatively simple blower is necessary. This raises the efficiency. According to recent independent testing, the research center's cell outperformed two commercially developed fuel cells by a "considerable margin," according to the center. Schatz research director Peter Lehman hopes that the new development will facilitate the commercialization of the technology.

DWV