- Email: [email protected]
Intelligent Energy aims for bike fleets in fuel cell drive
NEWS ROAD VEHICLES Editorial office: Elsevier Ltd The Boulevard, Langford Lane Kidlington Oxford OX5 1GB United Kingdom Tel:+44 (0)1865 843239 Fax: +44 (0)1865 843971 Website: www.fuelcellsbulletin.com Editor: Steve Barrett E-mail: [email protected] Publisher: Laurence Zipson E-mail: [email protected] Production Support Manager: Lin Lucas E-mail: [email protected] Subscription Information An annual subscription to Fuel Cells Bulletin includes 12 printed issues and online access for up to 5 users. Prices: 1112 for all European countries & Iran US$1247 for all countries except Europe and Japan ¥147 800 for Japan (Prices valid until 31 December 2009) To subscribe send payment to the address above. Tel: +44 (0)1865 843687, Fax: +44 (0)1865 834971 Email: [email protected] or via www.fuelcellsbulletin.com. Subscriptions run for 12 months, from the date payment is received. Periodicals postage is paid at Rahway, NJ 07065, USA. Postmaster send all USA address corrections to: Fuel Cells Bulletin, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001, USA Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier Global Rights Department, PO Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, email: [email protected]. You may also contact Global Rights directly through Elsevier’s home page (www.elsevier.com), selecting first ‘Support & contact’, then ‘Copyright & permission’. In the USA, users may clear permissions and make payments through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA; phone: +1 978 750 8400, fax: +1 978 750 4744, and in the UK through the Copyright Licensing Agency Rapid Clearance Service (CLARCS), 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 0LP, UK; phone: +44 (0)20 7631 5555; fax: +44 (0)20 7631 5500. Other countries may have a local reprographic rights agency for payments. Derivative Works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Electronic Storage or Usage Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article. Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher. Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Science Global Rights Department, at the mail, fax and email addresses noted above. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/ or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made. Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.
02233 Pre-press/Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) LImited
2
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Automakers commit to fuel cell vehicles from 2015
T
he world’s leading automobile manufacturers working on fuel cell vehicle technology – Daimler, Ford, General Motors/Opel, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, the Renault–Nissan alliance, and Toyota Motor Corporation – have issued a joint statement on the development and market introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles. By signing a letter of understanding, these major companies have marked a major step towards the serial production of such locally emission-free vehicles. The signatory automobile manufacturers strongly anticipate that from 2015, a significant number of fuel cell vehicles should be commercialized. This number is aimed at a few hundred thousand units over their life-cycle, on a worldwide basis. As every automaker will implement its own specific production and commercial strategies as well as timelines, the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles may even occur earlier than 2015. With road traffic and vehicle ownership both increasing, low- and zero-emission vehicles will be an even greater priority, and overall CO2 reduction goals will be made tougher. Over the last decade, governments, car manufacturers and the energy sector have given special attention to the introduction of hydrogen as a fuel for road transport, as a priority option to reach several goals associated with emissions management and CO2 reduction. Current demonstration projects involving fuel retail companies, utility providers, and engineering companies have shown that the production, storage, transportation, and deployment of efficient equipment for hydrogen as a fuel are technically feasible. In order to ensure a successful market introduction of fuel cell vehicles, a hydrogen infrastructure has to be built up with sufficient density. The network is required by 2015, and should be built up from metropolitan areas via corridors into area-wide coverage. The signatory automakers strongly support the idea of building up a hydrogen infrastructure in Europe, with Germany as a regional starting point. At the same time, similar concepts will be developed for the market penetration of hydrogen infrastructure in other regions of the world, including the US, Japan and Korea as further starting points.
Several leading German companies recently agreed to develop a plan for a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure, called the ‘H2 Mobility’ initiative [FCB, September 2009]. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal transport ministry, with the aim of significantly expanding the hydrogen fueling station network in Germany by the end of 2011.
Intelligent Energy aims for bike fleets in fuel cell drive
T
he UK-based PEM fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy has outlined plans to add to its operations globally, and expand its presence in the growing market for fuel cell powered motorbikes and combined heat and power (CHP) units. Chief executive Henri Winand told BusinessGreen.com that the company is planning to use its recently announced additional funding [FCB, September 2009] to bolster its commercial activities, and is now looking for new customers to install its PEM fuel cell technology. ‘We have largely completed the R&D phase,’ he says. ‘Obviously, as a technology company R&D will continue, but our focus now is to build our model of working behind the factory gates for OEM partners such as Suzuki, Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), and Boeing.’ The company currently operates a partnership model, where it licenses its fuel cell design to be used in a range of different applications, then works with manufacturers to install the system in their end products. For example, last year it set up a joint venture with SSE to develop fuel cell CHP units for commercial and domestic properties. Intelligent Energy is also working with Suzuki on developing fuel cell powered bikes, recently trialed the use of a fuel cell as a source of auxiliary power for one of Boeing’s aircraft, and is working on a project to deliver a number of fuel cell powered black cabs in London, in time for the 2012 Olympics [see the feature in the August issue of FCB]. Winand says that a key target market would be the bike sector, where he argues fuel cells offer a compelling alternative to conventional engines. ‘The two-wheel market is going from strength to strength,’ he says. ‘We will have fuel cell powered bikes on the road by the end of the year, and we are going to target fleet customers first.’ He adds that companies operating motorbike fleets, such as couriers, would be able to avoid the problems associated with the absence
October 2009
NEWS / EDITORIAL of a wider hydrogen refueling infrastructure, by installing a central refueling hub. ‘From an infrastructure standpoint, a fleet of zeroemission bikes makes sense, and the technology is compelling, as unlike a car you only need 250 g (9 oz) of hydrogen to get a range of about 200 km (125 miles) with a motorbike,’ he notes. Winand also says that Intelligent Energy is now looking to set up operations in emerging economies. ‘There are emerging markets in the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] economies that could be very attractive, and we believe there are some good opportunities there, particularly given our partner-based business model,’ he says. Contact: Intelligent Energy, Loughborough, UK. Tel: +44 1509 225863, www.intelligent-energy.co
MOBILE APPLICATIONS
Scandinavian PEM fuel cell APU operating on reformed diesel
A
Scandinavian collaboration has made significant progress in a project to develop a fuel reformer/fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) suitable for use in heavy good vehicles (HGVs) and forklift trucks, using hydrogen reformed from diesel. The system also incorporates the capability of subzero temperature operation. Volvo Technology, StatoilHydro, H2 Logic, Powercell Sweden, and the Norwegian research organization SINTEF joined forces two years ago to develop a new hydrogen-fueled PEM fuel cell system. The NORPEM project is an important aspect of efforts to greatly reduce CO2 emissions in such applications [FCB, December 2007]. Powercell Sweden and its minority owner Volvo Technology [FCB, July 2009] were responsible for creating the system to reform diesel fuel carried by the truck into hydrogen. The companies were also responsible for building the PEM fuel cell. A spokesman for Volvo Technology told The Engineer Online that its reforming technology holds a unique position in the marketplace, because no other company offers a system to reform diesel fuel to hydrogen at a quality good enough for a PEM fuel cell. The new system is first being targeted for use on HGVs and forklift trucks. The electricity generated by it could be used as an APU for lorry drivers when resting in their vehicles. Usually in
October 2009
these vehicles, the diesel engine is kept going in neutral to supply power for heating, air-conditioning, lighting, refrigerator, TV etc. SINTEF’s Steffen Møller-Holst says it is unlikely such systems will find applications in passenger vehicles in the near future. ‘For a conventional car, the diesel reformer and the total system will be very big compared to the output you need for propulsion,’ he explains. ‘For propulsion of a vehicle you might need 100 kW. This system is 5 kW, which is perfectly suited for smaller power outputs such as forklift trucks and APUs in big trucks.’ The new Scandinavian system has been specially developed for operation at subzero temperatures. Forklift trucks using the new system could therefore be operated outdoors on cold winter days, and in cold stores. This reformer/ fuel cell system is also likely to be adapted for use in pleasure boats. Contact: Steffen Møller-Holst, Research Manager, Energy Conversion and Materials, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway. Tel: +47 9260 4534, Email: [email protected], www.sintef.no/Home/Petroleum-andEnergy/SINTEF-Energy-Research NORPEM project: www.nordicenergy.net/section. cfm?id=1-0&path=3,25
Yet more motor home makers offer EFOY fuel cell systems ex works
G
erman-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell has added three more motor home manufacturers to the extensive list of those already offering its EFOY fuel cells for their vehicles. SFC sees recreational vehicles as a key early market for its direct methanol fuel cell technology. They reliably provide mobile homes with power without generating any harmful emissions, guaranteeing maximum freedom far away from the power grid. Westfalia Van Conversion in RhedaWiedenbrück, Buerstner GmbH in Kehl am Rhein, and Eura Mobil in Sprendlingen join 45 mobile home manufacturers throughout Europe that offer EFOY fuel cells either preinstalled or available as an accessory. SFC has sold more than 14 000 fuel cells around the world to date, for a wide variety of mobile, stationary and portable applications. Effectively immediately, customers who buy the ‘James Cook’ series of Westfalia vehicles can have it equipped with EFOY fuel cells ex works, while the fuel cells are also offered as an optional accessory across the Westfalia product line.
EDITORIAL
E
nergy storage is often linked with fuel cells when it comes to real-world applications. This is because hydrogen is seen as one of the ways in which some of the main forms of generating electric power from renewable energy sources can be made more useful for continuous power. The intermittent nature of wind or solar photovoltaic energy sources is a significant problem, but using any spare power generation capacity to produce hydrogen via electrolysis of water is a relatively straightforward process. (Of course, these extra steps between the initial power generation and its ultimate use chisel away at the end-to-end efficiency, but I’ll leave that argument to others.) There are some interesting projects that combine renewable energy sources with electrolyzers and hydrogen fuel cells, including the Hydrogen Mini Grid System recently installed at the Environmental Energy Technology Centre in Yorkshire, UK (www.hydrogen-yorkshire.co.uk), and the H2seed project at the Hebridean Hydrogen Park in the Western Isles of Scotland (www. hydrogenhebrides.com). Batteries – and, to a lesser extent, other electrochemical devices such as ultracapacitors – are another key energy storage technology that is often linked with fuel cells, in both mobile and stationary applications. Vehicles in particular see the benefit of hybridizing power sources in this way, to help overcome limitations such startup time or from subzero temperatures. Effectively all fuel cell vehicles are hybrid to some extent, as there will always be a battery or ultracapacitor somewhere in the system – the only real question is to how great a degree the system depends on the battery. Another advantage of the hybrid approach in vehicles is that it can allow the use of smaller fuel cell systems, which has advantages in terms of cost, system size and so on. The recently unveiled Riversimple ‘open source’ fuel cell car (www.riversimple.com) employs just a 6 kW PEM fuel cell, combined with an ultracapacitor. And the Microcab vehicles used on the University of Birmingham campus in the UK (www.fuelcells.bham.ac.uk) use 3 kW PEM fuel cells to keep the battery-powered propulsion system charged up, rather than seeing the batteries discharge and then need a long recharging session. One of the reasons why this comes to mind is that I am also now responsible for posting content at www.renewableenergyfocus.com, in the section on ‘Energy storage including fuel cells’. I will be posting a lot more content there in future, starting with news items but also adding feature articles and other types of information. Check it out for yourselves… Steve Barrett
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3
02233 Pre-press/Printed by Mayfield Press (Oxford) LImited
2
Fuel Cells Bulletin
Automakers commit to fuel cell vehicles from 2015
T
he world’s leading automobile manufacturers working on fuel cell vehicle technology – Daimler, Ford, General Motors/Opel, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, the Renault–Nissan alliance, and Toyota Motor Corporation – have issued a joint statement on the development and market introduction of fuel cell electric vehicles. By signing a letter of understanding, these major companies have marked a major step towards the serial production of such locally emission-free vehicles. The signatory automobile manufacturers strongly anticipate that from 2015, a significant number of fuel cell vehicles should be commercialized. This number is aimed at a few hundred thousand units over their life-cycle, on a worldwide basis. As every automaker will implement its own specific production and commercial strategies as well as timelines, the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles may even occur earlier than 2015. With road traffic and vehicle ownership both increasing, low- and zero-emission vehicles will be an even greater priority, and overall CO2 reduction goals will be made tougher. Over the last decade, governments, car manufacturers and the energy sector have given special attention to the introduction of hydrogen as a fuel for road transport, as a priority option to reach several goals associated with emissions management and CO2 reduction. Current demonstration projects involving fuel retail companies, utility providers, and engineering companies have shown that the production, storage, transportation, and deployment of efficient equipment for hydrogen as a fuel are technically feasible. In order to ensure a successful market introduction of fuel cell vehicles, a hydrogen infrastructure has to be built up with sufficient density. The network is required by 2015, and should be built up from metropolitan areas via corridors into area-wide coverage. The signatory automakers strongly support the idea of building up a hydrogen infrastructure in Europe, with Germany as a regional starting point. At the same time, similar concepts will be developed for the market penetration of hydrogen infrastructure in other regions of the world, including the US, Japan and Korea as further starting points.
Several leading German companies recently agreed to develop a plan for a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure, called the ‘H2 Mobility’ initiative [FCB, September 2009]. The companies have signed a memorandum of understanding with the federal transport ministry, with the aim of significantly expanding the hydrogen fueling station network in Germany by the end of 2011.
Intelligent Energy aims for bike fleets in fuel cell drive
T
he UK-based PEM fuel cell developer Intelligent Energy has outlined plans to add to its operations globally, and expand its presence in the growing market for fuel cell powered motorbikes and combined heat and power (CHP) units. Chief executive Henri Winand told BusinessGreen.com that the company is planning to use its recently announced additional funding [FCB, September 2009] to bolster its commercial activities, and is now looking for new customers to install its PEM fuel cell technology. ‘We have largely completed the R&D phase,’ he says. ‘Obviously, as a technology company R&D will continue, but our focus now is to build our model of working behind the factory gates for OEM partners such as Suzuki, Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE), and Boeing.’ The company currently operates a partnership model, where it licenses its fuel cell design to be used in a range of different applications, then works with manufacturers to install the system in their end products. For example, last year it set up a joint venture with SSE to develop fuel cell CHP units for commercial and domestic properties. Intelligent Energy is also working with Suzuki on developing fuel cell powered bikes, recently trialed the use of a fuel cell as a source of auxiliary power for one of Boeing’s aircraft, and is working on a project to deliver a number of fuel cell powered black cabs in London, in time for the 2012 Olympics [see the feature in the August issue of FCB]. Winand says that a key target market would be the bike sector, where he argues fuel cells offer a compelling alternative to conventional engines. ‘The two-wheel market is going from strength to strength,’ he says. ‘We will have fuel cell powered bikes on the road by the end of the year, and we are going to target fleet customers first.’ He adds that companies operating motorbike fleets, such as couriers, would be able to avoid the problems associated with the absence
October 2009
NEWS / EDITORIAL of a wider hydrogen refueling infrastructure, by installing a central refueling hub. ‘From an infrastructure standpoint, a fleet of zeroemission bikes makes sense, and the technology is compelling, as unlike a car you only need 250 g (9 oz) of hydrogen to get a range of about 200 km (125 miles) with a motorbike,’ he notes. Winand also says that Intelligent Energy is now looking to set up operations in emerging economies. ‘There are emerging markets in the BRIC [Brazil, Russia, India, China] economies that could be very attractive, and we believe there are some good opportunities there, particularly given our partner-based business model,’ he says. Contact: Intelligent Energy, Loughborough, UK. Tel: +44 1509 225863, www.intelligent-energy.co
MOBILE APPLICATIONS
Scandinavian PEM fuel cell APU operating on reformed diesel
A
Scandinavian collaboration has made significant progress in a project to develop a fuel reformer/fuel cell auxiliary power unit (APU) suitable for use in heavy good vehicles (HGVs) and forklift trucks, using hydrogen reformed from diesel. The system also incorporates the capability of subzero temperature operation. Volvo Technology, StatoilHydro, H2 Logic, Powercell Sweden, and the Norwegian research organization SINTEF joined forces two years ago to develop a new hydrogen-fueled PEM fuel cell system. The NORPEM project is an important aspect of efforts to greatly reduce CO2 emissions in such applications [FCB, December 2007]. Powercell Sweden and its minority owner Volvo Technology [FCB, July 2009] were responsible for creating the system to reform diesel fuel carried by the truck into hydrogen. The companies were also responsible for building the PEM fuel cell. A spokesman for Volvo Technology told The Engineer Online that its reforming technology holds a unique position in the marketplace, because no other company offers a system to reform diesel fuel to hydrogen at a quality good enough for a PEM fuel cell. The new system is first being targeted for use on HGVs and forklift trucks. The electricity generated by it could be used as an APU for lorry drivers when resting in their vehicles. Usually in
October 2009
these vehicles, the diesel engine is kept going in neutral to supply power for heating, air-conditioning, lighting, refrigerator, TV etc. SINTEF’s Steffen Møller-Holst says it is unlikely such systems will find applications in passenger vehicles in the near future. ‘For a conventional car, the diesel reformer and the total system will be very big compared to the output you need for propulsion,’ he explains. ‘For propulsion of a vehicle you might need 100 kW. This system is 5 kW, which is perfectly suited for smaller power outputs such as forklift trucks and APUs in big trucks.’ The new Scandinavian system has been specially developed for operation at subzero temperatures. Forklift trucks using the new system could therefore be operated outdoors on cold winter days, and in cold stores. This reformer/ fuel cell system is also likely to be adapted for use in pleasure boats. Contact: Steffen Møller-Holst, Research Manager, Energy Conversion and Materials, SINTEF, Trondheim, Norway. Tel: +47 9260 4534, Email: [email protected], www.sintef.no/Home/Petroleum-andEnergy/SINTEF-Energy-Research NORPEM project: www.nordicenergy.net/section. cfm?id=1-0&path=3,25
Yet more motor home makers offer EFOY fuel cell systems ex works
G
erman-based SFC Smart Fuel Cell has added three more motor home manufacturers to the extensive list of those already offering its EFOY fuel cells for their vehicles. SFC sees recreational vehicles as a key early market for its direct methanol fuel cell technology. They reliably provide mobile homes with power without generating any harmful emissions, guaranteeing maximum freedom far away from the power grid. Westfalia Van Conversion in RhedaWiedenbrück, Buerstner GmbH in Kehl am Rhein, and Eura Mobil in Sprendlingen join 45 mobile home manufacturers throughout Europe that offer EFOY fuel cells either preinstalled or available as an accessory. SFC has sold more than 14 000 fuel cells around the world to date, for a wide variety of mobile, stationary and portable applications. Effectively immediately, customers who buy the ‘James Cook’ series of Westfalia vehicles can have it equipped with EFOY fuel cells ex works, while the fuel cells are also offered as an optional accessory across the Westfalia product line.
EDITORIAL
E
nergy storage is often linked with fuel cells when it comes to real-world applications. This is because hydrogen is seen as one of the ways in which some of the main forms of generating electric power from renewable energy sources can be made more useful for continuous power. The intermittent nature of wind or solar photovoltaic energy sources is a significant problem, but using any spare power generation capacity to produce hydrogen via electrolysis of water is a relatively straightforward process. (Of course, these extra steps between the initial power generation and its ultimate use chisel away at the end-to-end efficiency, but I’ll leave that argument to others.) There are some interesting projects that combine renewable energy sources with electrolyzers and hydrogen fuel cells, including the Hydrogen Mini Grid System recently installed at the Environmental Energy Technology Centre in Yorkshire, UK (www.hydrogen-yorkshire.co.uk), and the H2seed project at the Hebridean Hydrogen Park in the Western Isles of Scotland (www. hydrogenhebrides.com). Batteries – and, to a lesser extent, other electrochemical devices such as ultracapacitors – are another key energy storage technology that is often linked with fuel cells, in both mobile and stationary applications. Vehicles in particular see the benefit of hybridizing power sources in this way, to help overcome limitations such startup time or from subzero temperatures. Effectively all fuel cell vehicles are hybrid to some extent, as there will always be a battery or ultracapacitor somewhere in the system – the only real question is to how great a degree the system depends on the battery. Another advantage of the hybrid approach in vehicles is that it can allow the use of smaller fuel cell systems, which has advantages in terms of cost, system size and so on. The recently unveiled Riversimple ‘open source’ fuel cell car (www.riversimple.com) employs just a 6 kW PEM fuel cell, combined with an ultracapacitor. And the Microcab vehicles used on the University of Birmingham campus in the UK (www.fuelcells.bham.ac.uk) use 3 kW PEM fuel cells to keep the battery-powered propulsion system charged up, rather than seeing the batteries discharge and then need a long recharging session. One of the reasons why this comes to mind is that I am also now responsible for posting content at www.renewableenergyfocus.com, in the section on ‘Energy storage including fuel cells’. I will be posting a lot more content there in future, starting with news items but also adding feature articles and other types of information. Check it out for yourselves… Steve Barrett
Fuel Cells Bulletin
3