Hydrogen News

From Mexico to Canada with hydrogen

May 21 saw the start of the Hydrogen Road Tour 2009, a tour for hydrogen and fuel cells more than 2700 km long. The start was in Chula Vista, California, close to the Mexican border, the end in Vancouver (Canada). New and old types by Daimler, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, Nissan, Toyota, and Volkswagen stopped in 28 places along the track, in particular places where an early market entry of the technology is expected. The tour was organized by California Air Resources Board, California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP), Powertech Labs (for the Canadian province British Columbia), National Hydrogen Association, and U.S. Fuel Cell Council. Air Products and Powertech Labs provided mobile hydrogen filling stations during the tour.

(NHA press release of 21. May 2009)

Triple hybrid bus

A triple hybrid drive is the characteristic feature of a new bus which was developed by Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH in cooperation with Skoda Electric aus Pilsen/Czech Republic and which was presented for the first time on May 8 at Puchheim (near Munich). There is no combustion engine, but a combination of fuel cells, batteries, and ultra capacitors. The drive uses all advantages of an electric drive, recuperates braking energy, and consumes more than 50 % less than conventional Diesel buses.

The nominal output of the drive is 120 kW, the maximum speed 65 km/h, the range in city operation more than 250 km per filling. The bus is filled with 20 kg hydrogen gas under 350 bar, which takes less than 10 minutes. The vehicle will start operation in the middle of 2009 in the Prague region.

(Press release of 8. May 2009)

600 km in Norway running on hydrogen

The 600 km long trip from Norway's capital Oslo to Stavanger, centre of the country's oil industry, can now be made with hydrogen cars. For hydrogen filling stations have been installed along the track, four more are planned. Liv Signe Navarsete, Norwegian minister for Transport and Communications, said during the official opening: „Hydrogen, biofuels and electricity are essential to bringing the transport sector out of the fossil-fuel ages and into the renewable era.“ The event was celebrated by a rallye for hydrogen and fuel cell cars from Oslo to Stavanger. Crown Prince Haakon drove the first leg of the rally, after having tested the brand-new hydrogen fuelling station in Oslo.

(Press release of Research Council of Norway, 14. May 2009)

Comprehensive cleanliness

Empa and Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) in cooperation with Bucher Schörling, Proton Motor, BRUSA Elektronik AG, and Messer Switzerland have developed a communal vehicle running on hydrogen. „Bucher CityCat H2“ is the first vehicle of this kind in the world with fuel cell drive and will be tested for 18 months in different cities and communities in normal operation. The 55 kW Diesel engine and the hydraulic drive were replaced by a 20 kW fuel cell, electric motors, and a 7.5 kg H₂ storage system. Using vehicles like this in areas like pedestrian zones and station halls or even in closed rooms like exhibition halls reduces the air pollution considerably in comparison to conventional vehicles usually running on Diesel.

(Empa press release of 16. May 2009)

Hydrogen motor boat ready for serial production from Austria

The Frauscher boat yard located at Gmunden (Austria) on the shore of Traunsee announced to have the first electric boat in the world running on hydrogen and ready for serial production. Frauscher 600 Riviera HP is 6 m long and is propelled by a fuel cell developed by Fronius. It feeds an electric motor with an output of 4 kW which accelerates the boat to 5 knots, about 9 km/h. Protection of the environment is to start already with the production of hydrogen: an photovoltaic installation converts sun light into electricity which feeds an electrolyser.

Filled exchangeable cartridges serve as tanks. These containers have a weight of 28 kg and can be changed quickly on board of the boat. The content corresponds to 11 kWh electrical energy which is enough for four hours boating fun under full load with constant output - twice the performance of batteries.

(Süddeutsche Zeitung, 18. May 2009)

Cars do not run on water

A news item published by Philippine Daily Inquirer, a newspaper from Manila, said that Philippine inventor Daniel Dingel, 82, was sentenced to 20 years of prison and a fine of 380.000 $ because of fraud. Since 1969 Dingel made headlines by saying that the converted his car to an engine which needed almost only water. Many experts said that this should be impossible, but nobody could demonstrate a fraud because Dingel never allowed anybody to look too exactly under the hood of his Toyota Corolla.

In 2000 an investor from Taiwan gave him more than 400.000 $ for the delivery of three cars converted to Dingel's engine. He never saw the cars or his money again. Finally he sued Dingel which had the effect mentioned above.

Fuel Cells

Nissan: Solid oxide fuel cell for cars

The Japanese car maker Nissan has developed the prototype of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) for mobile applications. It is not meant drive the car directly but will be integrated into a hybrid drive. The cell is operative after 15 minutes. A car with a weight of 1 t with an engine output of a few 10 kW could be charged with a cell delivering 4 kW. The prototype delivers 54 W, accepted the temperature change from ambient to 600 °C without problems and performed for 30 minutes under full load.

(Hyweb, 30. April 2009)

Tognum installs fuel cell in brewery

Federal Minister for Economy zu Guttenberg started the operation of a HotModule by MTU Onsite Energy for cogeneration purposes on 8 May in a brewery in Erding near Munich. The electrical output is 240 kW, the thermal more than 200 kW. The brewery used the heat for heating the buildings for generating hot water. The brewery waste water is processed in an internal anaerobic cleaning step before being fed into the public waste water network. During this process biogas with a methane content of 85 % is generated which is an excellent fuel for a fuel cell. This saves up to 1200 to of CO₂ per year. At 650 °C the biogas is reformated to hydrogen which then reacts electrochemically with oxygen from air. Almost 50 % of the energy content of the biogas are converted to electricity, more than 40 % into waste heat of 400 °C. The total efficiency is more than 90 %. The continuous heat demand of the brewery during the whole year fits very well the profile of the HotModule which has the best efficiency under permanent load conditions.

(Press releases of 28. May and 9. June 2009)

BASF mass produces membranes

On 6 May the chemical company BASF officially opened the new production site of BASF Fuel Cell Inc. in Somerset (New Jersey, USA). The factory produces membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for PEM cells which open up new possibilities by their high operating temperature of 120 … 180 °C. In combination with the fact that this membrane needs little humidification the temperature offers clear advantages in comparison to conventional low temperature polymer electrolyte membranes for fuel cells. The cells are more tolerant against impurities in the hydrogen gas, cooling is easier, and continuous humidification is not necessary. Components such as humidifiers, water pumps, tanks, and valves are no longer necessary, just as certain cleaning procedures. Developers and customers can cut costs.

(Press release of 6. May 2009)

Smart Fuel Cell gets order from Volkswagen

Smart Fuel Cell (SFC) received an order by Volkswagen AG to delver more than 200 fuel cells of the EFOY 1600 type for delivery before the end of this year. The systems will be fitted into transport vehicles which are utilized by authorities. They serve as mobile offices and need a high degree of reliability of the energy supply. Conventional generators produce a lot of noise and exhaust gas. The fuel cells will recharge the batteries when necessary. This enhances flexibility and usefulness of the vehicles.

(Press release of 30. April 2009)

Mass production of fuel cell heating devices

The Japanese company ENEOS CELLTECH announced completion of a plant for the mass production of cogeneration devices on fuel cell basis for domestic use. They will be marketed under the brand name ENE-FARM. A part of the plant is already operating. It will produce 10.000 units per year beginning in 2010, increasing to 40.000 until 2015. Between 2009 and 2015 a total of 150.000 units will be produced.

(Fuel Cell Works, 28. April 2009)

Energy and Climate

Daimler buys Tesla shares

Daimler AG buys a share of a bit less than 10 % of Tesla Motors Inc., according to a press release of both companies dated 19. May. Tesla is today the only producer distributing a battery vehicle for long distances in North America and Europe. Both companies agreed already to cooperate in the integration of lithium ion batteries and chargers into the first 1000 units of the smart fortwo electric drive. To improve the mutual profit of the know-how it has been agreed that both partners will cooperate more closely in the development of battery systems, electric drive-trains, and individual components.

(Daimler press release of 19. May)

Politics

Protests against budget cuts in USA

President Obama's secretary of Energy Chu plans to completely delete the funding for mobile applications of hydrogen and fuel cells (100 M$) for the next fiscal year. He thinks that battery vehicles can contribute quicker to the necessary decrease of greenhouse gas emissions from transport, while fuel cell cars are rather a project for the more distant future. Researchers and developers think that this would be a waste of money considering the advanced state of development already achieved. The matter is under discussion in Congress now.

Byron McCormick, one of the key persons in the hydrogen car development while he was working for General Motors, has resigned his post in the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee of DoE to signal his protest against Chu's plans. He told Chu that the technology is based on 35 years of experience of his own and the other companies while well meaning advocates of competing technologies do not have that relevant experience and make their cases based on idealized models or non-realistic or scientifically supportable assumptions.

The state of California is keeping its hydrogen course. The infrastructure is extended in spite of the financial problems of th state. One new station will built at the airport of San Francisco. Terry Tamminen, governor Schwarzenegger's longtime environment adviser, drives a Honda Clarity on hydrogen and expressed his impression that hydrogen cars are a reality here and now. He said that he was travelling with the car all over California, which has now 30 filling stations. He drives 400 km and spends five minutes to refuel, while his friends with the Teslas drive less than 200 km and spend four hours recharging. He added that their cars suffer from lugging around half a ton of batteries,� making the vehicles less efficient.

Sarkozy plans more support for renewables

France's president Sarkozy intends to boost renewable energies. „Wherever an Euro will be spent for nuclear energy another Euro will be spent for clean energies“, he announces on 9 June after visiting the national solar energy institute in Savoy. „We must take the renewable energy as serious as General de Gaulle did it with nuclear energy in the 60s. This is not a decision either - or. It means doing both“, he continued. Sarkozy thinks France is lagging behind in this field because the opinion was prevalent too long that renewables are not necessary due to nuclear power. „This was a mistake.“ While today only 10 % of the energy come from renewable sources the share is to rise to at least 23 % by 2020. Even the state institutes CEA (Commissariat à l‘énergie atomique) and IFP (Institut français du pétrole) will get new names to emphasize energies benign for the environment. Sarkozy hopes that the economy will profit from the move. He pointed out that wind power alone sustains 90.000 jobs in Germany, 45.000 in Spain, but only 7.000 in France.

(Le Monde, 9. June 2009)

What else we have found ...

New insights on old friends

In a press release of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology (IGB) in Stuttgart about a new type of membrane which very effectively suppresses ethanol cross-over we found the remarkable statement: „Unlike hydrogen ethanol is not toxic, liquid, good for the environment, can be produced from sustainable raw materials by biotechnical processes and is safe in application.“

Deeply shocked, DWV sent a request to the IGB press department and asked to further enlighten us on issues like these:

• Is ethanol really non-toxic? They say that ethanol is neurotoxic, cancerogenous, teratogenic, addictive, and harmful to water; it must not be sold to children and teenagers and must not be present at work places above a certain concentration; about 16.000 people are said to be killed by it in Germany each year, according to other sources even 40.000.
• Is the application of ethanol principally safe? After all this is a flammable stuff, and its vapours form explosive mixtures with air.
• Is hydrogen toxic? Everybody thought so far that it is entirely neutral in terms of physiology.

Shortly after we had sent the E-mail the spokeswoman of IGB called us and apologized many times; the release just slipped through. So we are in a position to tell you that ethanol is even more toxic than hydrogen.

Remark: „All things are poison and nothing is without poison, only the dose permits something not to be poisonous.“ This was said by Paracelsus 500 years ago. But before you are poisoned by hydrogen you have probably dies long before from lack of oxygen. This is really good to know. Now let's relax and have a drink.