The first presenter was Dr. C.E. Thomas of the National Hydrogen Association. Dr. Thomas outlined a simulation of multiple vehicle types operated over 100 years. The simulation showed that fuel cell vehicles had the best results and would be required in order to meet greenhouse gas and oil reduction targets.

Next up was Sascha Simon from the Advanced Product Planning Group of Mercedes-Benz USA. He talked briefly about Mercedes-Benz’s fuel cell technology roadmap, which is starting with the introduction of the B-Class vehicle in mid-2010. He then went on to describe Germany’s plans for building a hydrogen infrastructure and how cooperation will hopefully allow for a rapid increase in hydrogen fueling stations there.

Representing American auto makers was Charles Freese, the executive Director of Fuel Cell Activities at General Motors. Freese explained Project Driveway, GM’s fuel cell feasibility study. The study turned out to be a huge success, with 119 vehicles used, many as personal vehicles. Throughout the study, the vehicles underwent over 16,000 refueling events, survived through three winters with temperatures as low as -20, and even demonstrated the ability of a fuel cell vehicle to safely survive a collision (Although the last one was not part of the plans). Freese mentioned the ambitious hydrogen infrastructure plans of Germany and Japan, and stated that there really isn’t any reason the United States can’t do the same things.

Last up was Michael McGowan from the Linde Group. He showcased some of the hydrogen fueling stations his group has installed and described some of the advances in construction they have made recently. While earlier stations were limited by how much hydrogen the stations could produce and deliver, the latest stations are only limited by how quickly the driver can get out and perform the fueling process.

Ultimately, it was a very informative briefing. There are certainly plenty of challenges ahead, but with a little bit of effort, we can overcome them to make hydrogen infrastructure and fuel cell vehicles a reality.

The most astounding news comes out of Korea.  A new residential fuel cell program driven by deep government cost share has a goal of 10,000 units installed by 2012 and 2 million units by 2020.  Federal and local support in 2010 amounts to 90 percent of the purchase price.  The percentage from government will decline over the next 10 years as volume increases and unit costs decline.  Korea already has an aggressive fuel cell power generation initiative and aims to capture jobs as part of the deal.

In Japan, five residential fuel cell manufacturers have formed a marketing partnership called ENE-FARM, complete with advertising on television, in print and even on the subway.  Sales of about 4,000 units, supported by government cost share, are moderately ahead of estimates. Kunihiro Nishizaki, whose title has changed from PEM Research Manager at Tokyo Gas to PEM Appliance Development Manager, told us the durability challenge has been cracked.

Tokyo gas guarantees 40,000 hours, 4,000 on-off cycles or 10 years, and hopes to push the guarantee to 50,000 or even 60,000 hours.  These numbers are at least twice what experts said was achievable by PEM systems only a few years ago.  Japan’s government deserves praise for its willingness to embrace a long term program of support for R&D, Demonstration and early commercialization.  In the US we are really good at supporting research but still learning the patience needed to stick with technologies all the way to the marketplace.

There is residential action in Europe as well.  Germany’s NOW program includes installation of about 800 residential units by 2012, and the UK government announced a per-kilowatt hour payment for any home generation system, including fuel cells (the range is between 10 pence and 13 pence); the program will be evaluated after the first 12,000 units are installed.

The day before the conference brought another big piece of news.  The auto industry, backed by Japan’s energy retailers, unveiled a plan to install 1,000 hydrogen fueling stations to support 2 million fuel cell vehicles by 2025.  Those numbers are reasonably consistent with the estimates of the US National Research Council in 2008. Industry is organized under the Fuel Cell Commercialization Group of Japan. It may be too much for the government all at once but it is clear the government has already indicated its interest. Two officials spoke at the unveiling.

As for me, I delivered my very first speech on fuel cells that focused entirely on markets and business cases rather than on technology development and potential benefits. I am interested to see what the rest of the show will bring.

- Bob Rose -

In our travels through Tokyo, we have noticed that fuel cells seem to be more recognized than we are used to in the US.  There are even stamps you can purchase at the post offices with fuel cells on them.  Commercials for a residential system called Ene-Farm play on the subway trains, and people we have talked to on the streets have recognized the name.  We rode a fuel cell bus over the the conference center this morning, and the other passengers seemed to be impressed. 

We are taking lots of pictures and will upload a few soon, but meanwhile, please take a look at the next post, which is a more informational update on what we have learned while at the show.  Arigato!

While stressing the possibilities of emerging technologies, Missouri S&T stands as the only U.S. team employing a hydrogen fuel cell and lithium-ion batteries in their vehicle design. Having a unique stance in this premier competition, Missouri S&T and team sponsors have gained the attention of industry leaders. With this opportunity, Missouri S&T is working to expand the awareness of hydrogen as clean and sustainable energy.

The Missouri S&T EcoCAR team always seeks new opportunities for partnership in hydrogen energy and vehicle technology. For more information about the team visit http://ecocarchallenge.mst.edu/ or feel free to contact david.lecko@mst.edu.

Taub spoke of how GM is developing both EVs and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), and noted that both technologies use the same electric motors and power electronics. He also spoke of the fuel cell advantage - larger vehicles and a greater range than EVs. In the future, he said, it’s not an “OR” solution (EVs “or” FCs), it’s an “AND” solution. He also wants the U.S. to remain a leader in FC technology, not falling behind to Japan and Germany.

In addition, Taub asked that Congress extend testing and validation funding for FCVs for 2011, and incentivize the industry through government commitment for FCV fleet purchases. He also stressed the need to develop both electric charging AND hydrogen fueling infrastructure. We are glad GM feels so strongly about FCVs to speak about them in this forum and highlight that fuel cells are an important part of the energy portfolio!

John Donahoe, eBay’s CEO, says five Bloom Boxes were installed nine months ago and have already saved the company more than $100,000 in electricity costs.

It’s great to see this kind of coverage in the mainstream press and hope this is only the beginning of fuel cell manufacturers and customers coming out and speaking about their experiences with fuel cell technology.

]]> http://www.fuelcellinsider.org/2010/02/bloom-energy-featured-on-60-minutes/feed/ http://www.fuelcellinsider.org/2010/02/olympic-rings-powered-by-fuel-cells/ http://www.fuelcellinsider.org/2010/02/olympic-rings-powered-by-fuel-cells/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:01:23 +0000 Brynne http://www.fuelcellinsider.org/?p=155 Olympic Rings in Vancouver's harbor will be powered by 'made-in-Canada' hydrogen fuel cells. The BC Hydrogen Highway and its industry members paid for the cost of the new installation, which will provide clean, supplementary power to the LED-lights on the 30 ft. tall Olympic Rings. The Province of British Columbia encouraged the industry to undertake this work - the refit makes the Olympic Rings greener and showcases cutting-edge clean energy technology. Inside the press release linked above, you'll find this quote from John Tak, President of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association. "The BC Hydrogen Highway is excited and proud to provide this hydrogen fuel cell power boost to such an inspiring, iconic symbol.  It is our hope that when a world-wide audience sees the floating Olympic Rings, they are reminded that clean energy solutions, such as hydrogen fuel cells, have arrived and will help address our environmental challenges."]]> Another great fuel cell addition to this Winter’s Olympics! Will anyone be traveling to Vancouver this week? Let us know if you see the rings (we’d love a picture), or ride in one of the 20 fuel cell buses!

The BC Hydrogen Highway has announced that the floating Olympic Rings in Vancouver’s harbor will be powered by ‘made-in-Canada’ hydrogen fuel cells.

The BC Hydrogen Highway and its industry members paid for the cost of the new installation, which will provide clean, supplementary power to the LED-lights on the 30 ft. tall Olympic Rings. The Province of British Columbia encouraged the industry to undertake this work - the refit makes the Olympic Rings greener and showcases cutting-edge clean energy technology.

Inside the press release linked above, you’ll find this quote from John Tak, President of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association. ”The BC Hydrogen Highway is excited and proud to provide this hydrogen fuel cell power boost to such an inspiring, iconic symbol.  It is our hope that when a world-wide audience sees the floating Olympic Rings, they are reminded that clean energy solutions, such as hydrogen fuel cells, have arrived and will help address our environmental challenges.”

The Obama Administration proposed on Monday to reduce funding for PEM-based hydrogen and fuel cell programs in FY 2011, proposing $137 million (a reduction of $37 million), and provided no money for new vehicle deployment under the Technology Validation program.  SECA program funding was proposed at $50 million, a reduction of $4 million from 2010.

There was no public criticism of the hydrogen program this year from the Secretary, and no attempt at outright elimination.  But the cuts are significant and include programs of greatest importance to the industry. The US Fuel Cell Council posted this message:

The Obama Administration’s proposal to cut FY2011 funding for fuel cells is a lost opportunity to advance the Administration’s job creation and clean energy agenda by supporting an industry that is just beginning to achieve its promise.  The fuel cell industry is poised for just the kind of growth the Obama Administration is looking for to stimulate our economy.  While research needs to continue, fuel cell products are entering early markets that value their efficiency, low emissions and superior performance.  This growth means jobs in manufacturing across the supply chain, sales, service and related fields.  Department of Energy and private sector studies project that up to 700,000 new jobs are possible in the fuel cell industry in the next 10 to 20 years.  Those jobs will occur where the market for fuel cells exists. Fuel cells are low-carbon, low-emission systems that can efficiently utilize locally available fuels and help the nation reduce oil imports.  Fuel cells work well with renewable fuels and support a renewable, green power grid. A strong public-private (government) partnership is the missing link needed to ensure the benefits of fuel cell commercialization are realized in the US. 

The chart below provides a little more detail on the budget proposed for 2011.

There was a great representation of fuel cell cars - 4 different manufacturers had their vehicles on display, and some even had an employee on hand to answer questions.  We tried not to grill them too hard!

First, our interns Brian and Semee posed with the Mercedes F-Cell.  Insiders might get a chance to hear from Semee soon - look for a few guest posts. 

Here are a few of the others that were on display last Friday:

Toyota\’s Display even included a video about hydrogen alongside the display.

Did anyone else get to go to the Show? We’d love to see your pictures as well. 

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I guess even US Energy Secretary Steven Chu must have noticed the cars during his tour of the show yesterday.  Secretary Chu spoke at the 2010 Washington Auto show about the Obama administration’s commitment to advancing fuel efficient vehicles while helping to create clean energy jobs.  After talking about other advanced vehicle technologies, Chu mentioned fuel cells - he said: “and hydrogen fuel cell, its longer in the future, its still in there.”  Small progress, but progress just the same!

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Like I said, we will be at the show this afternoon, so come back and look for pictures either later today or Monday morning right here.  Has anyone else had a chance to head over to the Convention Center? We’d love to see your pictures as well.