- Email: [email protected]
Ballard partner opens fuel cell engine facility in Shanghai
NEWS
Ballard partner opens fuel cell engine facility in Shanghai
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems has announced that the Shanghai Edrive subsidiary of its Chinese strategic partner Zhongshan BroadOcean Motor Co Ltd, has commissioned its fuel cell engine manufacturing facility in Shanghai, the first such for Chineseproduced Ballard fuel cell modules. Shanghai Edrive will assemble Ballard FCveloCity® 30 kW and 85 kW PEM fuel cell engines at the facility under a technology transfer, licensing and supply arrangement between Ballard and Broad-Ocean that was finalised last spring [FCB, May 2017, p3]. The partners have signed a US$18 million supply contract to support the deployment of 400 FCveloCity fuel cell engines integrated into buses and trucks in key Chinese cities [June 2017, p2]. Broad-Ocean also plans to assemble Ballard-designed engines at facilities in Hubei and Shandong Provinces [September 2016, p2]. ‘Commissioning of Shanghai Edrive’s facility is an important step in our strategy to localise production in China, as the market for fuel cellpowered, heavy-duty applications – including buses and commercial trucks – heats up in China,’ says Randy MacEwen, President and CEO of Ballard. ‘Broad Ocean has manufacturing scale, supply chain muscle, operations excellence, bus and commercial vehicle OEM relationships, and a strong balance sheet. Ballard will also benefit from Broad-Ocean’s demand pull-through of fuel cell vehicles for use in its own new energy vehicle leasing business.’ ‘This timing dovetails with the recent rollout of the Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Development Plan, a ground-breaking initiative for large-scale vehicle deployment,’ continues MacEwen. ‘The Plan includes annual production targets of 3000 fuel cell electric vehicles by 2020, and 30 000 fuel cell electric vehicles by 2025.’ Shanghai Edrive’s 50 000 ft2 (4600 m2) fuel cell engine manufacturing facility has the capacity to manufacture and test several thousand engines per annum. Ballard has provided training to ensure consistent manufacturing build quality and engine performance. The fuel cell engines assembled by Shanghai Edrive will utilise FCvelocity9SSL stacks manufactured by Guangdong Synergy Ballard Hydrogen Power Co Ltd, a joint venture owned by Guangdong Nation Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology Co Ltd
January 2018
and Ballard in the City of Yunfu, Guangdong Province [November 2016, p8], whose manufacturing facility was commissioned last September [October 2017, p7]. ‘We anticipate significant demand for zero-emission fuel cell electric buses and commercial trucks in key Chinese cities, including Shanghai,’ says Mr Gong Jun, CEO of Shanghai Edrive. ‘Our company has already started production of Ballard-designed fuel cell engines, and we expect to scale our manufacturing operation through 2018.’ Meanwhile, Ballard’s subsidiary Protonex has developed a next-generation fuel cell propulsion system to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and has received a contract from Boeing subsidiary Insitu for extended durability testing of the 1.3 kW system [see page 4]. Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co Ltd: www.broad-ocean.com/en/index.html Shanghai Edrive: www.chinaedrive.com/en/index.aspx
Ceres Power on track for market-ready field trials, new OEM deal
U
K-based Ceres Power reports that it is on track to begin field trials in 2018 with its first go-tomarket product utilising its lowcost, next-generation SteelCell® intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell technology. The company has also announced a new Technology Assessment Agreement with a leading global OEM. Ceres has reported that key milestones have been delivered in the last six months with all of its partners, including Honda [FCB, January 2016, p1], Nissan [July 2016, p4], and Cummins [April 2014, p10]. Additional OEMs are in the final stages of finalising agreements to work with the SteelCell technology [June 2017, p5]. The company has consolidated relationships with its existing partners, meeting key milestones and securing follow-on business. As a result, the company is on track at the halfyear to deliver £3 million (US$4.2 million) of income, an increase of 80% year-on-year. Successful field trials of the technology in the UK have confirmed the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of the SteelCell in real-world conditions, and this has further enhanced its reputation with world-class companies. Ceres has now completed the technology transfer with its commercially confidential customer,
on time and on budget. This has enabled the OEM partner to develop a multi-kW combined heat and power (CHP) product, with field testing planned in 2018. Ceres is working with Cummins and the US Department of Energy to develop a 10 kW power-only system, initially to target data centres, in response to demand for higher power applications [September 2016, p6]. A key milestone achieved in this programme has been the development of a larger format of the SteelCell, which is opening up new applications for the technology. The company continues to meet the milestones provided for the vehicle range-extender programme announced in mid2016, which has resulted in securing follow-on agreements with Nissan. Ceres Power has also signed a new Technology Assessment Agreement with a leading global OEM, under which it will provide the SteelCell technology at the stack and system level for evaluation for CHP applications. If successful, this would lead on to a Joint Development Agreement with the OEM partner in 2018. The company is also at the final stages of agreements with other commercial partners, and expects to sign further contracts in the next few months. ‘Interest and awareness of the role the SteelCell can play in the future energy mix continues to grow,’ says Ceres CEO Phil Caldwell. ‘In 2018 we expect to see existing programmes progress from development into field trials with higher power systems, and to take the next step towards commercial launch with the addition of new OEM partners.’ Ceres Power: www.cerespower.com
Element 1 signs tech licensing deal with Asian manufacturer
U
S-based Element 1 Corporation has signed a technology licence agreement for its S-Series Hydrogen Generator with a global manufacturing company based in Asia. Under the agreement, e1 will provide a licence to its industry-leading hydrogen generation technology, as well as engineering consulting services, to advance future versions of the unnamed customer’s fuel cell power systems. e1’s new licensee is a long-established company based in Taiwan, that is focused on producing high-quality, clean energy technologies for the Asian and European markets. The company has been working with
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11
Ballard partner opens fuel cell engine facility in Shanghai
C
anadian-based Ballard Power Systems has announced that the Shanghai Edrive subsidiary of its Chinese strategic partner Zhongshan BroadOcean Motor Co Ltd, has commissioned its fuel cell engine manufacturing facility in Shanghai, the first such for Chineseproduced Ballard fuel cell modules. Shanghai Edrive will assemble Ballard FCveloCity® 30 kW and 85 kW PEM fuel cell engines at the facility under a technology transfer, licensing and supply arrangement between Ballard and Broad-Ocean that was finalised last spring [FCB, May 2017, p3]. The partners have signed a US$18 million supply contract to support the deployment of 400 FCveloCity fuel cell engines integrated into buses and trucks in key Chinese cities [June 2017, p2]. Broad-Ocean also plans to assemble Ballard-designed engines at facilities in Hubei and Shandong Provinces [September 2016, p2]. ‘Commissioning of Shanghai Edrive’s facility is an important step in our strategy to localise production in China, as the market for fuel cellpowered, heavy-duty applications – including buses and commercial trucks – heats up in China,’ says Randy MacEwen, President and CEO of Ballard. ‘Broad Ocean has manufacturing scale, supply chain muscle, operations excellence, bus and commercial vehicle OEM relationships, and a strong balance sheet. Ballard will also benefit from Broad-Ocean’s demand pull-through of fuel cell vehicles for use in its own new energy vehicle leasing business.’ ‘This timing dovetails with the recent rollout of the Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Development Plan, a ground-breaking initiative for large-scale vehicle deployment,’ continues MacEwen. ‘The Plan includes annual production targets of 3000 fuel cell electric vehicles by 2020, and 30 000 fuel cell electric vehicles by 2025.’ Shanghai Edrive’s 50 000 ft2 (4600 m2) fuel cell engine manufacturing facility has the capacity to manufacture and test several thousand engines per annum. Ballard has provided training to ensure consistent manufacturing build quality and engine performance. The fuel cell engines assembled by Shanghai Edrive will utilise FCvelocity9SSL stacks manufactured by Guangdong Synergy Ballard Hydrogen Power Co Ltd, a joint venture owned by Guangdong Nation Synergy Hydrogen Power Technology Co Ltd
January 2018
and Ballard in the City of Yunfu, Guangdong Province [November 2016, p8], whose manufacturing facility was commissioned last September [October 2017, p7]. ‘We anticipate significant demand for zero-emission fuel cell electric buses and commercial trucks in key Chinese cities, including Shanghai,’ says Mr Gong Jun, CEO of Shanghai Edrive. ‘Our company has already started production of Ballard-designed fuel cell engines, and we expect to scale our manufacturing operation through 2018.’ Meanwhile, Ballard’s subsidiary Protonex has developed a next-generation fuel cell propulsion system to power unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and has received a contract from Boeing subsidiary Insitu for extended durability testing of the 1.3 kW system [see page 4]. Ballard Power Systems: www.ballard.com Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co Ltd: www.broad-ocean.com/en/index.html Shanghai Edrive: www.chinaedrive.com/en/index.aspx
Ceres Power on track for market-ready field trials, new OEM deal
U
K-based Ceres Power reports that it is on track to begin field trials in 2018 with its first go-tomarket product utilising its lowcost, next-generation SteelCell® intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell technology. The company has also announced a new Technology Assessment Agreement with a leading global OEM. Ceres has reported that key milestones have been delivered in the last six months with all of its partners, including Honda [FCB, January 2016, p1], Nissan [July 2016, p4], and Cummins [April 2014, p10]. Additional OEMs are in the final stages of finalising agreements to work with the SteelCell technology [June 2017, p5]. The company has consolidated relationships with its existing partners, meeting key milestones and securing follow-on business. As a result, the company is on track at the halfyear to deliver £3 million (US$4.2 million) of income, an increase of 80% year-on-year. Successful field trials of the technology in the UK have confirmed the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of the SteelCell in real-world conditions, and this has further enhanced its reputation with world-class companies. Ceres has now completed the technology transfer with its commercially confidential customer,
on time and on budget. This has enabled the OEM partner to develop a multi-kW combined heat and power (CHP) product, with field testing planned in 2018. Ceres is working with Cummins and the US Department of Energy to develop a 10 kW power-only system, initially to target data centres, in response to demand for higher power applications [September 2016, p6]. A key milestone achieved in this programme has been the development of a larger format of the SteelCell, which is opening up new applications for the technology. The company continues to meet the milestones provided for the vehicle range-extender programme announced in mid2016, which has resulted in securing follow-on agreements with Nissan. Ceres Power has also signed a new Technology Assessment Agreement with a leading global OEM, under which it will provide the SteelCell technology at the stack and system level for evaluation for CHP applications. If successful, this would lead on to a Joint Development Agreement with the OEM partner in 2018. The company is also at the final stages of agreements with other commercial partners, and expects to sign further contracts in the next few months. ‘Interest and awareness of the role the SteelCell can play in the future energy mix continues to grow,’ says Ceres CEO Phil Caldwell. ‘In 2018 we expect to see existing programmes progress from development into field trials with higher power systems, and to take the next step towards commercial launch with the addition of new OEM partners.’ Ceres Power: www.cerespower.com
Element 1 signs tech licensing deal with Asian manufacturer
U
S-based Element 1 Corporation has signed a technology licence agreement for its S-Series Hydrogen Generator with a global manufacturing company based in Asia. Under the agreement, e1 will provide a licence to its industry-leading hydrogen generation technology, as well as engineering consulting services, to advance future versions of the unnamed customer’s fuel cell power systems. e1’s new licensee is a long-established company based in Taiwan, that is focused on producing high-quality, clean energy technologies for the Asian and European markets. The company has been working with
Fuel Cells Bulletin
11