2/28/2002   CE-CERT Awarded Grant for Hydrogen Engine Research - University of California Riverside College of Engineering--Center for Environmental Research and Technology

The College of Engineering--Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) has received a $100,000 grant from the Department of Energy to investigate ways of improving the performance of hydrogen engines in order to make them more competitive with fuel cell engines. The work by the UCR research team, led by CE-CERT's principal engineer James Heffel, is part of a national initiative to develop hydrogen power. Much of that initiative centers on the development of pollution-free fuel cells.

2/28/2002   Afghanistan, Attacks Feed Thinking On Soldier of the Future
Naples Daily News/AP

A compact, advanced hybrid fuel cell is envisioned as a better power source for soldiers increasingly equipped with systems that resemble laptop computers.

2/28/2002   Fuel Cells: Coming to a Car Near You by Mark Chediak - Red Herring Magazine

As the U.S. Congress debates future energy policy, fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, are at the center of a new initiative from the U.S. secretary of energy, Spencer Abraham.

2/28/2002   MINNESOTA: Task Force Members Look at the Future: Hydrogen - Worthington Daily Globe (MN)

The Rural Minnesota Energy Task Force met Wednesday in Slayton to discuss a variety of issues, and to see a demonstration by specialists and engineers on the hydrogen economy and the region's role in that brave new world. ...Jeffrey Haase, an engineer with the Minnesota Department of Commerce, said engines using hydrogen fuel cells are already being produced by private companies and auto manufacturers. He said the use of hydrogen as a fuel was not so much a question of how, but when. "All the pieces are in place for that to become reality," he said.

2/25/2002   Hydrogen Sparks Hope for Cleaner Air by Dan Vergano - USA Today

...federal officials may have staked our energy future on hydrogen. ...On a wider scale, getting fuel cells going presents a "chicken and egg dilemma" for the economy, says C.E. "Sandy" Thomas of H2Gen Innovations in Alexandria, Va. Fuel cells won't become affordable until they are mass-produced. Makers won't mass-produce them until hydrogen becomes more freely available. ...More likely, Thomas and many others suggest, fuel cells will catch on with businesses, then homeowners, as generators that can be parked outside like air conditioning units before they become commonplace on highways. Unlike that used in cars, a home fuel cell won't face space and weight constraints and could work with hydrogen taken from natural gas already commonly pumped into homes.

2/25/2002   Hydrogen Driven Revolution by Michael McCabe - San Francisco Chronicle

On Jan. 30, the California Assembly approved a bill that would require the Air Resources Board to draft regulations by 2004 to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars and light trucks. If the bill holds up, California could become the first state to limit carbon dioxide auto emissions....  "There are a lot of companies putting money into fuel cells right now in the R&D and prototype stage, and if the carrots and the sticks existed, you could have fuel cell cars in mass production of some sort in four years, there is no doubt about that," says Dan Sperling, director of the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California at Davis.

2/25/2002   Miniature Fuel Cells Could Soon Replace Rechargeable Batteries by John Geralds - VNU Business Publications (UK)

LLNL's Jeff Morse said that the fuel cell could be cheaper, smaller and contain more energy than any battery or alternative fuel cell technology. "The higher energy capacity of such a product will lead to further new classes of personal electronics, such as autonomous sensors and communication devices that are not currently possible with existing battery technologies," he said. LLNL's patented method for making thin-film fuel cells combines microcircuit processes, micro-fluidic components and micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology to provide a lighter, longer-lasting power source.

2/24/2002   UNITED KINGDOM:  More Spending Needed on 'Green' Energy Sources by Severin Carrell - The Independent (UK)

The Government must spend more money to find new "green" sources of energy and non-polluting cars, according to its chief scientist. In a direct criticism of past spending on environment-friendly technology, Professor David King has urged Tony Blair to spend up to £400m more each year on finding new forms of "green" energy and transport to help to tackle climate change. Prof King revealed that a national energy research centre is to be founded to lead Britain's efforts to develop hydrogen-fuelled and electric cars, effective solar, tidal and wave energy technologies, and even ways of pumping CO2 from power stations into disused oil and gas fields. He indicated that economists and sociologists would also be commissioned to study radical plans to replace all petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles with "green" cars that have been pioneered by California and Lombardy in Italy.

2/24/2002   JAPAN: Toyota to Launch Fuel Cell Car in Tokyo Area Next Year - China Daily (China)

Japan's top automaker plans to start selling its environmentally friendly FCHV-4 in the Tokyo area by the summer of 2003, the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper reported. ...Toyota's version will cost about 10 million yen (US$75,000), making the target customer large corporations and the government, Tokyo Shimbun said. The launch will initially be limited to the Tokyo area because hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell cars are already being set up in the capital, the newspaper said. ...The top speed of the FCVH-4, which stands for ``fuel cell hybrid vehicle,'' is 95 miles (150 kilometers) per hour and it has a cruising range of more than 155 miles (250 kilometers). The car is modeled after Toyota's Kluger V sports utility vehicle, which is marketed in North America as the Highlander.

2/23/2002   CANADA: DuPont to Invest in Fuel Cell Research: Ottawa Invests $19M - Canadian Press/National Post

DuPont said that over the next four years its fuel cell research workforce will grow to more than 80 from 27 in the eastern Ontario city of Kingston. If the research program is successful, DuPont Canada said it could spend up to $45-million by 2009, with a possible 500 development and production jobs created. "This investment by the federal government will promote our continuing development of fuel cell technology in Canada," DuPont Canada CEO Dave Colcleugh said.

2/21/2002   Oil Dependency Cure? Hydrogen Fuel Cells Could Replace Fossil Fuels by Jeff Richgels - Capital Times, Madison (Wisconsin)

"The military has a couple of real needs that fuel cells will answer," says John Donohue, DCH president and CEO. "They have a very low heat signature - only running around 140 degrees on the inside - which is a wonderful trait for the military because it's harder (for heat sensors) to spot. And they are much more efficient and have the ability to be much smaller (than current systems)." Remote power applications also are a prime early market. DCH currently has several remote power demonstration projects going, including one with the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission in which the company's fuel cells are being used to power air monitoring devices in rural areas that run 24/7.

2/21/2002   JAPAN: Team Discusses Fuel-Cell Promotion - Japan Times

The vice ministers discussed progress on the development of fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, and discussed how to push ahead with the technology in the future. The Fuel Cell Project Team's report will highlight steps that the government can take to expedite getting fuel cells onto the market with an eye to securing budget allocations for such measures for fiscal 2003, according to Keiji Furuya, the industry vice minister. Ideas aired during Wednesday's meeting include the need to better educate society about fuel cells by explaining them at schools, as well as putting them on exhibit where the public will see them at work, such as in buses or model homes, Furuya told a news conference after the gathering.

2/19/2002   United Technologies Unit, Nissan Set Deal on Fuel-Cell Technology by J. Lynn Lunsford - Wall Street Journal

UTC Fuel Cells, a unit of United Technologies Corp., signed a watershed deal with Nissan Motor Co. to develop fuel-cell technology for future generations of automobiles. The deal, which has been under discussion for months, is a huge win for UTC and gives the South Windsor, Conn., company a voice alongside its biggest competitor, Canada's Ballard Power Systems Inc., in shaping how the technology will be used. The agreement, which includes Nissan and its partner, Renault SA, was announced Tuesday.

2/18/2002   Running the Fuel-Cell Marathon - Business Week

Shell Hydrogen CEO Donald Huberts on the long-term benefits and challenges of using hydrogen to power cars.  ..."If you want to make a fundamental transition on a worldwide basis, you would be talking about hundreds of billions of dollars. But the investments won't be made overnight, and they won't be out of line with investments done in the past and that we continue to make to build and maintain the existing infrastructure. We can only afford to make such an infrastructure transition once. We have to make sure that what we're going to do is feasible, that it will deliver not only environmental and supply security, but that customers want it. And we have to phase it in in a way that's affordable. "

2/18/2002   Fuel Cell or Fuel Efficiency?  by Ed Hunt - Christian Science Monitor

Hydrogen is plentiful and clean, and hydrogen-fuel cells produce power without pollution. So when the Bush administration announced a major program to get hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road, you might have expected at least grudging praise.  This so-called "Freedom CAR" program endorses a hydrogen economy. It signals the internal combustion engine's status as an endangered species. It should accelerate interest, private investment, and research in fuel-cell technology.  Yet the announcement received more criticism than praise from environmentalists.

2/16/2002   Hydrogen's Promise The Islands’ Best Bet for Energy Independence by Karl Kim, vice chancellor and professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Hawaii at Mänoa - Honolulu Weekly

The state of Hawai‘i is so completely dependent on shipped-in oil — not just to power our SUVs and weed whackers, but also to stoke our power plants — that any interruption in the oil supply would be catastrophic. We islanders need to develop some real options, real soon. A long range, renewable energy policy is just about as important to us as any issue out there. A reliable, affordable, nonpolluting source of energy is essential to our future economic security and critical to our quality of life. We need to get back to basics. And we can’t get more basic than restructuring our economy around the simplest, the lightest and the most abundant element on the planet — hydrogen.  ...Hawai‘i’s connections to the hydrogen economy are more than skin deep. The opening sentences of the Worldwatch Institute publication "Hydrogen Futures: Toward a Sustainable Energy System" (August 2001) feature none other than Läna‘i-born state legislator Hermina Morita and her vision for Hawai‘i’s energy future. Her Capitol office is cluttered with reports on distributed generation, micropower, net metering, interconnection standards, renewable portfolio standards and other issues related to energy and the environment. Morita is featured prominently on the California Hydrogen Business Council’s Web site.

2/16/2002   JAPAN: Ministry Eyes Methane as Clean Fuel Source - Asahi Shimbun

About 20 million tons of raw waste and 90 million tons of cattle manure are produced every year in this country. But rather than being shipped to the nation's few methane-production facilities, most of them is incinerated or used as fertilizer. Germany, on the other hand, has approximately 700 such facilities. At the same time, the European Union is planning to double, by 2010, the percentage of its energy use from eco-friendly sources, including methane, to 12 percent. But deregulation and the coordinated efforts of ministries and agencies must occur before Japan can follow suit.

2/15/2002   Scientists Come Closer to Dream World Where Energy is Green by James Freeman - The Herald (UK)

What was once a science fiction dream, a clean, green fuel economy based on hydrogen, the earth's most abundant element is within a decade of realisation, and Scotland is uniquely placed to be in the forefront. The government's energy review issued yesterday set this squarely in context, pointing out that the potential long-term requirement for significant carbon dioxide emission reductions from the transport sector, coupled with the increasing scarcity of oil, raised the need to develop alternative fuels. The review added: "There is the long-term prospect that the technology for powering vehicles by fuel cells fed on hydrogen will fulfil its current promise, and so ultimately provide the means of providing a substitute for oil."

2/14/2002   CANADA: Innovation Key to Consumers' Hearts: Grimaldi by Peter Brieger - Financial Post

Carmakers need strategic alliances to reduce costs while offering consumers "must have" vehicles if they expect to prosper, says Michael Grimaldi, the president of General Motors of Canada Ltd. ..One of the big attention-getters at the Canadian International Auto Show yesterday was GM's AUTOnomy concept car, a fuel-cell-powered vehicle in which the steering and braking are powered electronically. "AUTOnomy has the potential to make vehicles more affordable and safer," Mr. Grimaldi said. To bring fuel-cell vehicles from concept to reality, GM has teamed up with Toronto-based Hydrogenics Corp. on alternative energy development. It is working with General Hydrogen of Vancouver to create a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, a key hurdle for widescale use of fuel cells. Meanwhile, alliances have been inked with several other carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co., and Isuzu Motors Ltd.

2/14/2002   Houston Advanced Research Center to Develop Fuel Cell Projects in Brazil - Houston Business Journal (Texas)

Patrice Parsons, HARC's development director, said the organizations hope to create a "gateway" between the United States and Brazil and to work together to explore technologies that have potential for bringing power to millions in northern Brazil. These people too often must use inefficient and polluting diesel oil generators to meet their energy needs, she explained. "We plan to work with Brazil's government, Sieco, and other partners on projects that can determine whether it is feasible to produce power systems that generate hydrogen from water for later use as fuel to generate electricity," Parsons said. "For that purpose, we will test hydrogen fuel cells' application in generating power, improving system optimization, and proving a zero-emission source of energy."

2/14/2002   Students' Vision of Future Energizes Judges by Linda Angelo - Flint Journal (Michigan)

Solar energy is collected from Egypt's desert wasteland, and the vast amount of energy allows for the extraction of hydrogen from Lake Nasser through electrolysis. Judges liked the concept so much that they awarded Grand Blanc Middle School students second place in the Future Cities regional competition. The school's team also won best essay and the electrical technology award.

2/12/2002   LLNL Develops Powerful New Rechargable Battery - Lawarence Livermore National Laboratory/Business Wire

The miniature fuel cell technology incorporates a thin film fuel cell and microfluidic fuel processing components integrated into a common package. Using easy-to-store liquid fuels, such as methanol, the fuel cell power module provides greater than three times longer operating time than present rechargeable batteries.

2/12/2002   Dreams of the New Power Grid by Charles Wardell - Popular Science

Cost issues seem daunting, but only because many people are looking at them erroneously, says Peter B. Bos, CEO of Polydyne, a Pacific Palisades, California-based consultancy that specializes in fuel cell economics. Bos, who's considered somewhat radical among fuel cell proponents, says the traditional cost projections don't factor in what he terms the production learning curve, which, simply put, means it can take years of research and lots of money to capture the first 1 percent of the potential market; but lessons learned during that initial effort spur a second, more efficient manufacturing wave, when production rises steeply and prices drop quickly. With that theory as a guide, Bos expects fuel cell price trends to mirror those of VCRs, air conditioners, and heat pumps. He predicts that 1 percent of U.S. homes will have fuel cells between 2006 and 2010, when a 5kW model will cost roughly $7,000. A few years after that, Bos says, fuel cells will cost only $1,200 and be in half of U.S. homes. But his most radical prediction is 29 years out: "By 2031, 99 percent of the homes in the United States won't need to be hooked up to the electric grid."

2/12/2002   Federal Funds Sought for Local Projects by Jose Sanchez, Jr. - North County Times (California)

Six million dollars for a Murrieta interchange and a Temecula transit center are on a federal transportation funding wish list to be considered Wednesday by the Riverside County Transportation Commission. The list also is set to include $5 million for a new Riverside-Orange county freeway and $1 million for a hydrogen fuel-cell bus research project in the Coachella Valley.

2/10/2002   Fuel Cells – Your First May Not be in Your Car by Greg Kline - News Gazette (Illinois)

UI fuel cell research ranges from the work by scientists like Wieckowski and Masel, in the process of patenting a micro-cell system, to the work by chemistry Professor Eric Oldfield, who studies what happens inside fuel cells at a molecular level. UI mechanical engineering Professor Mark Shannon, who works with Masel and Wieckowski, wants to use mini-fuel cells to power clothing with its own air-conditioning system.

2/8/2002   Investors Bet That Fuel Cells Will Become Trendy Again by Charles Flemming - Wall Street Journal

Last week, Shell Hydrogen, Mitsubishi Corp. and United Kingdom chemicals company Johnson Matthey PLC launched Europe's first venture-capital fund dedicated to investing in fuel-cell technologies. Dubbed Conduit Ventures, the fund will draw on capital from its three industrial sponsors, but will also attempt to raise money from outside investors, said its chief executive officer, John Butt. "The timing [for a new fund] is optimal," said Mr. Butt. "A lot of hurdles have been overcome in the fuel-cell industry."

2/8/2002   U.S. Energy Official Cites Need for Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles - U.S. State Department

"How is it possible to offer performance, convenience and functionality in a range of vehicles that can meet the needs of a diverse population without using petroleum? We believe the most promising long-term approach is to employ hydrogen fuel cells combined with electric drive. Therefore, the first element of our strategic approach is to develop technologies to enable mass production of affordable hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles and assure the hydrogen infrastructure to support them." - David Garman, Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy

2/8/2002   DCH Nails Fuel Cell Contract - Small Cap Center

DCH Technology’s lunch-box sized fuel cell may provide a solution to the problem of providing electricity for a wide range of sensing equipment in remote locations. Pennsylvania is prepared to give it a try. DCH (AMEX: DCH) The state’s Department of Environmental Protection has purchased two 30-watt fuel cells from DCH to power air quality sampling equipment, a data logger, and wireless communications equipment at two separate evaluation sites. ...Texas already has 12 of DCH’s 30 watt fuel cells in the field. Using metal hydride in 900 liter canisters as their hydrogen source (the other option is compressed hydrogen gas), the units also run air-and water-quality testing equipment. The metal hydride canister lasts approximately one week in Texas under this heavy use.

2/3/2002   Minnesota Corn Growers Convention to Focus on Corn-Powered Fuel - AP/Star Tribune (Minnesota)

The Minnesota Corn Growers Association is focusing its attention on putting corn on more of the nation's highways as well, by making corn the biomass fuel of the future. That future could be seen at the MCGA's annual convention Tuesday and Wednesday at Jackpot Junction in Morton. There, ethanol made from corn powered a clean, highly efficient fuel cell. Washington is betting that fuel-cell technology will be powering American cars and trucks in the not too distant future. Many corn growers agree. "This will take over," said Gerald Tumbleson, a Sherburn corn grower who serves as a director for the National Corn Growers Association.

2/2/2002   Danbury, Conn.-Based Fuel Cell Firm to Make Scheduled Deliveries for Year - Waterbury Republican-American (Connecticut)

Five FuelCell employees were injured Jan. 15 when a buildup of fumes from solvents used to make fuel cell components caused an explosion at the newer of two production machines inside the Technology Park Drive plant. None of the injuries were life-threatening, and employees returned to work at the plant the next morning, though the two "tape casting" lines remain out of action. ...Analyst Kent Mortensen said it was important to note that FuelCell says the explosion was not a problem with a fuel cell or fuel cell technology. Mortensen follows FuelCell as vice president with Milwaukee-based financial services firm Robert W. Baird & Co. "The good news is right now, there are not capacity constraints," Mortensen said. "They should be able to make up the difference by the end of the year."

2/1/2002   H2 Go by Tom Koppel, author of Powering the Future - Drive.com (Australia)  

The next internal combustion car you buy may well be your last. The fuel-cell car, powered by electricity produced from hydrogen, is in the wings. The technology is virtually ready to go into commercial production. The remaining barrier is in making hydrogen widely available and safe to handle.

1/31/2002   Bush Backing of Green Cars May Not Be a Short Drive by Bob Schler - Dow Jones/WSJ

While automotive fuel cells are the most high-profile potential market for the technology, Mr. van Lierop said other markets, such as fuel cells for backup-power systems, will develop faster and present entrepreneurs with more immediate opportunities. Angstrom Power, for instance, is developing "micro" fuel cells for use in things such as cordless power tools. "The entire market for fuel cells is much bigger than just the car," Mr. van Lierop said. "Yes, [fuel-cell technology] is still in the early stages. But there are already some very intriguing opportunities in the game."

1/31/2002   Scottish Power Subsidiary Signs On To US Fuel Cell Deal - Dow Jones/WSJ

PacfiCorp, a subsidiary of Scottish Power PLC (SPI), has signed a deal with Vanteck Technology Corp. to build the first large-scale commercial regenerative fuel cell in North America, Vanteck said late Wednesday. The regenerative fuel cell will supply peak power to a remote community of 20,000 people in southeast Utah, and will recharge itself and store fuel during the off-peak time, said Brian Frazer, Vanteck's vice president for corporate development. It will correct the community's summertime supply shortage, while deferring the need to build a substation, he added. The companies plan to have the vanadium energy storage system working by June 30, supplying 250 kilowatts of power, with the potential for additional units of the same capacity.

1/30/2002   Fuel Cells' Promise: Reduced Dependence on Foreign Oil by Lynn E. Weaver - Orlando Sentinel (Flordia)

Recently, the Bush administration gave the nation a glimpse of its vision of what might help achieve such energy independence. At least part of that vision is refreshingly new. The key is fuel cells. The Energy Department and the auto industry have devised a plan to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells to power the cars of the future. ...This technology promises to help solve many of the problems associated with America's dangerous dependence on foreign oil, now at the 60 percent mark and rising. One-fourth of the oil imports comes from the Persian Gulf, the wellspring of terrorism.

1/30/2002   Is Soap and Water the Fuel of the Future? by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. - Dow Jones/WSJ

The loveliness of sodium borohydride is that the fuel is kept in nonflammable form. Hydrogen hangs around only in the small amounts being released by the catalyst at any given moment. In an accident there is nothing to burn -- unless, as MCEL's product development chief Terry Copeland jokes, you happen to "crash into a catalyst truck." And a batch of fuel can be mixed up anywhere from sacks of sodium borohydride and tap water. ...Another price-insensitive customer is the Pentagon, whose advanced research office is looking at sodium borohydride to fuel the electro-mechanical "exoskeleton" inhabited by the infantryman of the future. "The U.S. military is the world's biggest buyer of batteries," says Steve Tang, Millennium Cell's CEO, "and batteries are the heaviest equipment a soldier carries into battle after ammunition."

1/30/2002   'Soap' May Make Clean Fuel-Cell Cars Feasible -- Volatile Hydrogen Can be Stored Safely in Sodium Borohydride by Eric C. Evarts - Christian Science Monitor

For energy efficiency, the borax fuel cell could surpass all but gaseous hydrogen. Borate would have to be mined, hydrogen produced from water or some other chemical (possibly by solar energy), and sodium borohydride made in a factory. All these processes use energy but promise to be more efficient than a fuel cell powered by liquid hydrogen, says Thomas Moore, vice president of future technology at DaimlerChrysler.

1/30/2002   S Korea's Hyundai, Kia To Develop Fuel Cell Cars With UTC - Dow Jones/WSJ

South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. (Q.HMC) and Kia Motors Corp. (Q.KMO) plan to jointly develop and produce fuel cell vehicles with UTC Fuel Cells in an alliance, according to Hyundai Motor Wednesday.

1/28/2002   Pennsylvania Gov. Schweiker Administration Announces Nearly $10 Million Available in Alternative Fuels Grants - Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection/PRNewswire

On behalf of Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary David E. Hess today encouraged school districts, local governments, corporations, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, and residents to apply for nearly $10 million in Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants (AFIG). ...Alternative fuels include compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), liquid propane gas (LPG), ethanol (E85), methanol (M85), hydrogen, hythane, electricity, coal-derived liquid fuels and fuels derived from biological materials.

1/28/2001   Shell Joins Alternative Energy Fund by Matthew Jones - Financial Time (UK)

Royal Dutch/Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil company, on Monday said it was linking up with Johnson Matthey, the UK specialist chemicals company, and Mitsubishi of Japan to form an investment fund for the alternative energy sector. The companies hope to raise $100m for the fund - to be named Conduit Ventures - for investment in companies developing hydrogen fuel cell technologies. All three groups are involved in fuel cell technology, which is seen by some as the energy source of the future. By investing in smaller companies they hope to speed up the rate at which the technology can be economically brought to a mass market. Conduit would select established companies, primarily in Europe, Canada and the US. It would typically take stakes of 10 per cent to 40 per cent with a value of $1m to $10m. The fund would be managed by John Butt and John Knight, two former investment bankers from Schroder Salomon Smith Barney.

1/28/2002   Petrol Cars' Future Under Cloud - NZoom (New Zealand)

A top official in northern Italy put forward a plan on Sunday to limit Italians in the region to buying only ecologically friendly cars from 2005. "We would be happy if by 2005 you would only be able to buy ecologically friendly cars," Roberto Formigoni, president of the regional government of Lombardy, told Corriere della Sera in an interview. "We are thinking of electrical vehicles or those that run on petrol and electricity." These cars run on electricity but use petrol to recharge their batteries. "This would not result in zero emissions, but it would substantially lower pollution levels," he said. Formigoni also mentioned hydrogen cars which he said would be available in California from 2005. "We could aim for having a certain percentage of vehicles that run on hydrogen by, say, 2007," he said. Formigoni's comments followed weeks of heavy pollution which forced the region to declare several traffic-free days in key northern cities, such as Milan and Turin for health reasons.

1/25/2002   Gephardt Envisions 'Apollo Project' on Alternative Fuels by Stephen Dinan - Washington Times

In a speech to the Democratic Leadership Council, Mr. Gephardt called on President Bush and congressional leaders to convene an economic summit to plan economic growth for the rest of the decade. The Missouri Democrat also laid out his plan to increase spending to combat terrorism, as well as proposed legislation to boost the number of teachers in the country. But his main focus yesterday was on producing a sustainable energy policy. He proposed tax credits and government spending on research to make sure a majority of cars are not powered solely by gas by 2020, and that public-transportation vehicles use hydrogen fuel cells.

1/25/2002   Engler Foresees Michigan as Future High-Tech Leader - Coldwater Daily Reporter (Michigan)

"Make no mistake; Michigan cannot sit back and assume that being home to the auto industry is our birthright," he said. The plan will address taxes, regulations, new infrastructure, intellectual property, research and development to help the auto industry move in the next decade from making gasoline-powered vehicles to ones that run on nonpolluting hydrogen fuel cells or hybrids of the two. "It is no longer a question of whether, but when, we will leave behind an economy powered primarily by fossil fuels," Engler said. "If we fail to seize our opportunity, if we fail to adapt, we risk becoming as irrelevant as the horse and buggy."

1/25/2002   Northwest Aims to be 'Clean Energy' Leader by Brad Knickerbocker - Christian Science Monitor

Seattle City Light is the first municipally owned utility in the country officially committed to eliminating 100 percent of its global warming emissions. The Washington Technology Center at the University of Washington is working with industry groups on miniature fuel cells. And even the Bonneville Power Administration, the federal agency in charge of the massive hydropower dams that produce about half the region's electricity, is on its way to becoming the largest supplier of wind energy in the country. BPA also is conducting the world's first residential pilot program for fuel cells (which combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity, leaving only water). "We're on the threshold of an energy efficiency revolution," says Washington Governor Gary Locke. "If we're smart, we'll stay a step ahead of the market and provide the clean-energy decade with the tools it needs."

1/24/2002   Gephardt Calls for Energy Incentives - AP/Northern Light

House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt on Thursday proposed new tax breaks and other incentives to hasten development of fuel cells and ``environmentally smart'' energy sources and end the nation's dependence on foreign oil. ``The development of alternative energy has the potential to be America's largest growth market and job producer in the next 10 years,'' Gephardt, D-Mo., said in a speech that laid out measures aimed at long-term economic growth. ...Longer term, he said Congress should set a goal of ``ultimately converting America's passenger transportation to fuel cell vehicles running on hydrogen, the ultimate 'green' energy resource, whose only byproduct is water.'' Gephardt proposed increasing federal research funding for fuel cell research and a tax credit for every family or business that buys fuel cell technology.

1/24/2002   Engler Still Seeks Tax Cut Despite Sour Economy by Chris Christoff - Detroit Free Press (Michigan)

Engler's hour-long speech focused on the future and keeping Michigan at the hub of the automobile industry. He said the state needs to seize the lead globally to develop clean-burning hydrogen fuel cell technology that could someday power automobiles instead of gasoline. The technology, he said, would lead to cleaner air and an end to U.S. dependency on foreign oil. "The race is on. The stakes are high" for capturing fuel cell industries, he said. "Make no mistake, Michigan cannot sit back and assume that being home to the auto industry is our birthright."

1/24/2002   Fuel-Cell Developers Look to the Back of the Bus by Ryan Alessi - Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee)

Researchers long have touted the potential of fuel cells, which are miniature power plants that force hydrogen and oxygen molecules together. The result is more efficient electric power and water instead of fumes from the tailpipe. These systems, first developed for space travel in the 1960s, have sparked experimental vehicle and power-plant projects for decades. But the technology has yet to be perfected and can cost in the six digits. So the hydrogen-powered clean car has remained 20 years away. This month, however, has been like the fuel cell's coming-of-age party. First, General Motors unveiled its Autonomy, the carmaker's vehicle-of-the-future with a skateboardlike chassis and a fuel cell under the hood. Less than a week later, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced that the government would scrap a Clinton-era clean-vehicles initiative and begin funding fuel-cell research.

1/23/2002   Fuel Cells That Fit in a Laptop by Reiner Gaertner - Wired

Several companies -- among them Mechanical Technologies, Motorola, Manhattan Scientifics, Ball Aerospace, Fraunhofer Institute and Samsung -- are frantically working on developing micro fuel cells for mobile and portable devices. While many micro fuel cell companies have yet to show any real product, Smart Fuel Cell has been rapidly advancing its micro fuel cell line. In late January, the Bavarian company will roll out a pilot production of its first portable methanol fuel cells -- just three months after having unveiled its first prototype. ...Smart Fuel Cell currently manufactures its products in Munich and expects to produce up to 2,000 units by the end of this year.

1/23/2002   Downing Street Think-Tank Backs Investment in Wind, Solar and Wave Power - with the Option of New Nuclear Plants by Andrew Grice - The Independent/Financial Times (UK)

In a report leaked to The Independent, the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) proposes "a radical agenda to enable the UK to puts itself on the path to a low-carbon economy" less reliant on oil and coal-fired power stations. But it says that the plan to switch to "renewable" energy could push up domestic electricity bills by between 5 and 6 per cent. ...The PIU says a 60 per cent cut in CO2 emissions by 2050, proposed by a Royal Commission two years ago, could be achieved - but only if there is a shift away from using oil to power vehicles, probably towards hydrogen. The total cost over 50 years is estimated at between pounds 7bn and pounds 23bn, "almost negligible" in relation to the whole economy. "The strong likelihood of such a target being adopted in the future is sufficient to justify giving the environmental objective a strong priority within future energy policy," the PIU argues.

1/22/2002   US Begins the Long Drive to Power Cars with Fuel Cells - Christian Science Monitor

The most significant environmental concept was the General Motors AUTOnomy - a giant rolling skateboard fuel-cell-car chassis. It promises "freedom of movement as well as freedom of automotive choice, and freedom from dependence on imported fossil fuels," says Richard Wagoner, GM's president.AUTOnomy's chassis houses all the critical components of the car: an electric motor in each wheel, a fuel-cell "engine," and a hydrogen storage tank that has not yet been fully developed.Just about any auto body, from a pickup to a wagon to a sports car, can be dropped on top of the chassis. Since all the components are electric, they would all plug into a single socket in the chassis, and the driver could sit wherever the vehicle's seating arrangement puts him or her. "This is the first time since the Firebird concepts of the 1950s that GM has looked this far into the future," enthuses Richard Truett, writing for the trade publication Automotive News.

1/21/2002   Leak At Atofina Plant Is Contained - IBS Network (Michigan)

Crews were called to handle a hydrogen leak Tuesday night at the Atofina Chemicals plant in Riverview. Fire trucks, ambulances and police responded to the plant at shortly after 8 p.m. Firefighters said that workers realized a truck inside the Atofina complex was leaking hydrogen. The gas is non-toxic, but flammable. The hydrogen began leaking from a tanker trailer valve. The leak was confined to the complex and no one was evacuated as a result of the incident. Authorities said that plant officials acted quickly to secure ignition sources, and the leak was capped. No injuries were reported.

1/21/2002   UA Team Gets Grant to Study Fuel Cells by Steve Reeves - Tuscaloosa News (Alabama)

A grant from the U.S. Department of Energy worth $400,000 a year during the next six years will allow a team of UA professors to take part in developing an alternative to gasoline-fueled vehicles. The university will match the grant dollar for dollar. ...Figuring out a way to develop a small and efficient hydrogen source will be one of the main focuses of UA researchers.

1/20/2002   Forward with Fuel Cells - Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

The new federal program should help address the technological and financial challenges of fuel cell development. One sign that the interest from Washington is well placed is that automakers already appear committed to the new technology. Ford Motor Co., for example, announced last September that it will launch its first commercial fuel cell vehicle in 2004. Honda plans to have a vehicle on the market by 2003. A General Motors executive, meanwhile, said he expects his company to mass produce cars powered by fuel cells by the end of this decade.

1/19/2002   Son of Supercar by Debra Saunders - Washington Times

Freedom CAR's goal is to produce affordable cars powered by fuel cells, which convert hydrogen to electricity and leave only water as a byproduct. If it were to work, America's dependence on foreign oil would end. Affordable is a toughie. Said Andrew Frank, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of California at Davis, "You can't buy a fuel cell for less than $100,000" — and that doesn't include the car.

1/19/2002   Fuel Cell Fantasy - San Francisco Chronicle (California)

Fuel cells could be a miracle cure for America's oil addiction. The infant technology taps everyday hydrogen to produce electricity for a futuristic car engine that emits water vapor. Say goodbye to gas pumps, OPEC and smog. For the White House, fuel cells can work another miracle. The plan staves off the need for tougher mileage standards that anger change-averse Detroit.

1/19/2002   Device Bodes Well for Hydrogen Fuel - Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan)

The photocatalyst, developed at the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) in Kizucho, Kyoto Prefecture, turns water into hydrogen and oxygen when it is exposed to light. ...Researchers at the institution developed a two-micron-thick film of photocatalyst comprising silicon semiconductors, cobalt molybdenums, iron-nickel oxides and other metallic substances. When the photocatalyst is placed in water and exposed to light, the water dissolves on its surface, generating hydrogen and oxygen separately. The new catalyst has a transformation rate of three percent, 30 times greater than that of other methods. Its filmlike appearance means it can be used in a variety of situations. ...A spokesman for the Global Environmental Affairs office of the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry said it was significant that such an efficient photocatalyst had been developed at a relatively low cost. "We hope the photocatalyst will be used in industry, and that hydrogen can be used as a practical source of clean energy as soon as possible," the spokesman said.
See also A Monolithic Photovoltaic-Photoelectrochemical Device for Hydrogen Production via Water Splitting
Oscar Khaselev and John A. Turner   Science Magazine      April 17, 1998

1/18/2002   General Motors Rolls Fuel Cell Vehicle Project by Charles J. Murray - EE Times

Autonomy's unveiling, which coincided with a U.S. Department of Energy announcement about accelerated funding for fuel cells, could signal another hard turn in the 100-year journey of the electric automobile. GM officials said the company plans to commit "hundreds of millions" of dollars to the project over the next several years, and hopes to put fuel cell-based vehicles into production within a decade. The DOE, meanwhile, joined in a partnership with GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, announcing a program called FreedomCar that would earmark more funds for fuel cell development, possibly at the expense of research into hybrids and battery-powered vehicles. The amount of the funding will be announced when the Bush administration reveals its new budget on Feb. 4.

1/18/2002   Fuel Cells 'Holy Grail,' GM Head Says - AP/Toronto Star (Canada)

"Because the government is going to focus on hydrogen as the ultimate fuel, the debate over whether we use gasoline, methanol or hydrogen becomes less important," said Thaddeus Malesh, an expert on fuel cell technology with the market research firm J.D. Power and Associates. "They can let the manufacturers focus on using hydrogen, which is the cleanest and most effective fuel." The fuel cell partnership, announced by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, replaces a Clinton administration program to develop high-mileage vehicles. "If this works this is the holy grail, this is the breakthrough," GM president and CEO Rick Wagoner told an industry conference Monday. "We've done enough work, we think there are risks, and the payoff is not just for the automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), it's the whole economy."

1/17/2001   China Invests US$12 Million in Fuel Cell Development - Xinhua News Agency (China)

According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China's top research body, the state is expected to invest more than 100 million yuan (12 million U.S. dollars) in developing the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology, which is also a sub-project of the state's high-technology advancement program. Researchers from the CAS Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics are scheduled to focus on research and development of fuel cell systems with a generating power of 75 kilowatts and 150 kilowatts, respectively. ...Closely cooperating with other CAS institutes, prestigious universities such as Qinghua and Zhejiang as well as Dongfeng Automobile Company and Shanghai Automobile Group, the Dalian institute plans to complete the research project in the three years.

1/18/2002   Fuel Cell or Fuel Efficiency? by Ed Hunt - Christian Science Monitor

Environmentalists say we need to convert to a hydrogen-powered economy. Hydrogen is plentiful and clean, and hydrogen-fuel cells produce power without pollution. So when the Bush administration announced a major program to get hydrogen-powered vehicles on the road, you might have expected at least grudging praise. This so-called "Freedom CAR" program endorses a hydrogen economy. It signals the internal combustion engine's status as an endangered species. It should accelerate interest, private investment, and research in fuel-cell technology.

1/17/2002   Hydrogen Cubes as Revolutionary Fuel? by Sanjay Dutta - Times of India

Last week, researchers from a multi-disciplinary team of Benaras Hindu University ran a hydrogen-powered Hero Honda motorcycle for hours before senior executives from the Indian Oil Corporation and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation. They also ran a portable genset and a cooking range on their cutting-edge technology. ...So excited are the energy giants IOC and ONGC that they have expressed a willingness to fund the BHU team. ‘‘We are convinced of the viability of the technology and will support further research,’’ said IOC’s research and development director A K Bhatnagar, after the January 9 demonstration at his Faridabad R&D centre. The star attraction at the demonstration was a rectangular box fitted under the seat of the motorbike. This packed enough fuel for the 100 cc bike to run a 50-km stretch. A ‘‘recharge’’ takes six minutes. The BHU technology traps the gas in molecular form in hydrites — a mixture of powdered rare earth metals found in abundance in Orissa, Kerala and Assam.

1/16/2002   Push More Vigorously for Mideast Democracy by John Hughes - Christian Science Monitor

The oil states are often in the hands of rulers who are autocratic and corrupt. To Middle Eastern allies like Saudi Arabia and Egypt we whisper that they need to change. They in turn snap back that if we press for, and they effect, democracy too rapidly, the alternative might be worse: extremist Islamic theocracies of the bin Laden ilk. We in turn murmur that if they don't reform, the result may be extremist Islamic theocracies anyway. And while this gentle dialogue goes on, the oil continues to be pumped and to flow. The US, with only 5 percent of the world's population, guzzles 25 percent of the world's oil. Wouldn't US problems be solved then by Americans easing their dependence on Middle Eastern oil, perhaps eliminating such dependence altogether? Ideally, yes. In this regard, the Bush administration took a significant step last week with a plan to power the cars of the future with hydrogen-based fuel cells. Fuel cells drawing hydrogen and oxygen from the air, if successfully developed, could ultimately replace the internal combustion engine, thus sharply reducing US use of oil for gasoline production.

1/15/2002   Administration Gives Up on 80-mpg Cars for Hydrogen-Powered Vehicles by Joseph Szczesny - Carconnection.com

Freedom Car's focus also appears to reflect a growing consensus among auto industry researchers that on-board reformers — which extract hydrogen from a traditional motor fuel such as gasoline or methanol — are impractical. Instead automakers are working at figuring out ways to store hydrogen on board so it could be fed directly into the fuel cells, which have steadily become smaller, cheaper and more efficient. Mass-market fuel-cell vehicles aren't expected to reach showrooms until 2010, but some experimental fuel-cell vehicles, such as transit buses built by DaimlerChrysler, will appear before the end of 2002.

1/15/2002   Sanyo, Samsung Electric in Fuel Cell Deal - Reuters/Times of India

Consumer electronics maker Sanyo Electric said on Tuesday it agreed to cooperate with South Korea's Samsung Electronics in developing basic technologies, beginning with fuel cells.

1/14/2002   Fuji Heavy Works on Hybrid System - AP/ProLog

The maker of Subaru cars also announced on Tuesday its production plan for this year, which will inch up 0.4 percent globally to 571,000 vehicles from 568,870 last year. The company plans to rely on technological research by GM for fuel cells, a futuristic ecological technology in which cars run on energy produced in a chemical reaction combining hydrogen and oxygen. Detroit-based General Motors owns 21 percent of Fuji Heavy.

1/14/2002   New Energy Source Fuels Industry - China Daily (China)

Experts believe the international automobile market will be redistributed in the next 10 years, which might be the only opportunity for China's automobile industry to catch up with and surpass the world. "The country has approached the world's most advanced techniques in producing fuel cells through 20 years of research and development," said Zhou Zhengxiang, vice-director of China Battery Industry Association. China plans to invest 1 billion yuan (US$120 million) in research of electric automobiles driven by fuel cells, Zhou said. ..."The production of small-sized fuel cells will be commercialized in the following one to two years in China," Shen said. Ming Pingwen agrees. As general manager of Sunrise Power, China's first listed company devoted to mass production of fuel cells with a total assets of 50 million yuan (US$6.04 million), his company could now manufacture fuel cells for electric bicycles and mobile power supplies. It is expected to mass produce in two years. China now has four fuel cell enterprises, which have produced four types of electric cars driven by fuel cells so far.

1/13/2002   Fill ‘er Up — with Hydrogen by John Schoen - MSNBC

The Bush administration’s support for hydrogen-powered cars announced Wednesday was a major endorsement for a technology that offers a realistic solution to U.S. dependence on foreign oil supplies. ...Several companies are working on developing electrolyzers for automotive use. Still, major companies like United Technologies, and a handful of smaller companies, including Ballard Power, Plug Power, and Fuel Cell Energy, have made big strides recently in making fuel cells affordable. ... Proton Energy Systems recently announced a deal to supply Ford with a demonstration hydrogen generator by this summer.

1/11/2002   Ballard Signs Home Energy Contract by John Greenwood - Financial Post (Canada)

Ballard Power Systems Inc. yesterday said it has signed a three-year collaborative agreement to commercialize a residential fuel cell generator that uses its technology. Ballard's partners in the venture are Tokyo Gas, Ebara Ballard and Ebara Corp. Earlier this week, Ebara Ballard, a joint venture between the Burnaby, B.C.-based fuel-cell developer and Ebara Corp. of Japan, unveiled a second-generation version of their fuel cell stationary generator for the Japanese market. Ballard said the new prototype, which is fueled by natural gas, is more efficient and 40% smaller than the original version.

1/11/2002   Fuel Cell Test Site Boosts Hydrogen Research by Ben DiPietro - Pacific Business News (Hawaii)

This week's opening of the state's first fuel-cell test facility will establish the islands as a center for hydrogen energy development and act as a magnet for additional research projects, supporters said. The opening of the center -- in Hawaiian Electric Co. Inc.'s Cooke Street warehouse -- coincides with a Bush administration decision this week to abandon a $1.5 billion Clinton administration project to build super-fuel-efficient cars and instead develop hydrogen-powered vehicles. The initiative will take place through a government-business partnership involving General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG and the U.S. Department of Energy.   As fuel cells become more prominent, America will lessen its dependence on foreign oil, making their development an issue of national security as well as one of economic development for Hawaii, which has everything to become a world leader in fuel cell technology, said Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii. The project is a collaboration between UTC Fuel Cells Inc. a division of Connecticut-based United Technologies; the University of Hawaii's Hawaii Natural Energy Institute; Hawaiian Electric; and the Department of Defense's Office of Naval Research. The project received $1.6 million in federal funding last year and has $2.6 million this year. Inouye is being asked to secure $5 million for next year. The money comes from the Office of Naval Research budget, the senator said. Oil has been at root of most U.S. military conflicts in recent decades, although the government never admits that, Inouye said at Tuesday's opening of the test facility. Becoming energy independent will save the nation billions of dollars now spent on oil, money that could be spent on education and other worthy projects, the senator said. "...We don't have to go to war for oil," said Inouye, who secured the federal funding. "It's much more than important to Hawaii; it's a matter of national vested interest."

1/11/2002   Air Products Could Gain from Fuel Cell Research by Hang Nguyen - Morning Call (New Jersey)

Analysts said the new emphasis on hydrogen-based fuel cells could mean more business down the line for Air Products, which is the area’s third-largest employer with 4,300 workers in the Lehigh Valley. It employs about 18,000 worldwide. This technology also could help the company’s stock in the long run. “The hydrogen economy, if and when we get there, could make Air Products a much more significant company,” said John Campbell, an industrial gas consultant and publisher of the trade journal CryoGas International. “Clearly, it’s a positive thing for Air Products,” said Venki Raman, Air Products’ business development manager for fuel cell energy solutions. “It sort of validates our own thinking in this emerging market.” In a major policy shift, the U.S. Department of Energy announced Wednesday it will devote research and development money and future policy toward hydrogen-based fuel cells. The new project, called Freedom CAR, replaces a Clinton administration program to develop high-mileage vehicles. The U.S. government will now work with General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG to develop fuel cells that will make cars more efficient and reduce reliance on foreign oil.

1/11/2002   Electric Blues in Motown - The Economist (United Kingdom)

    ...A combination of pressure for a cleaner environment and a far greater desire to wean itself off dependence on foreign oil, especially since the September 11th terrorist attacks on America, is resulting in a new energy policy by the Bush administration. One of its aims will be to help car makers produce vehicles powered by fuel cells.     The new fuel-cell initiative, called Freedom CAR, was announced by Spencer Abraham, America’s energy secretary, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, which runs until January 21st. Mr Abraham said that the government will reverse out of the $1.5 billion programme begun by the Clinton administration to help car makers develop a family car that could travel for 80 miles on a gallon of petrol. Detroit has never managed to get such a vehicle into the showrooms. Now the government will instead help the “Big Three”—General Motors (GM), Ford and Chrysler—to develop fuel cells instead.

1/11/2002   Ballard Signs Home Energy Contract by John Greenwood - Financial Post (Canada)

Ballard Power Systems Inc. yesterday said it has signed a three-year collaborative agreement to commercialize a residential fuel cell generator that uses its technology. Ballard's partners in the venture are Tokyo Gas, Ebara Ballard and Ebara Corp. Earlier this week, Ebara Ballard, a joint venture between the Burnaby, B.C.-based fuel-cell developer and Ebara Corp. of Japan, unveiled a second-generation version of their fuel cell stationary generator for the Japanese market. Ballard said the new prototype, which is fueled by natural gas, is more efficient and 40% smaller than the original version. The unit is designed for the Japanese residential market, where the high cost of electric power is expected to help sales. Electricity rates in Japan are among the highest in the world.

1/11/2002   Japan's Mitsubishi Kakoki Cuts Hydrogen Plant Cost by 20% - Asia Pulse/Financial Times (UK)

The new 200-cu.-meter-an-hour plant, which uses liquefied petroleum gas and city gas to generate hydrogen, is priced below 200 million yen. Unlike earlier versions, a major portion of the new plant can be pre-assembled at the factory before it is delivered to a site, simplifying installation and lowering costs. Mitsubishi Kakoki will initially market the new plant for industrial applications such as optical fiber production and metal heat treatment processes. The firm is also keeping an eye toward future uses such as hydrogen filling stations for fuel cell cars.

1/11/2002   Sanyo Says Mulling Tie with Samsung in Fuel Cells - CNET/Reuters

The Asahi Shimbun daily said in its Friday evening edition the two companies would join hands to develop fuel cells and other next-generation technologies that could generate hot new products, in order to share heavy development costs.

1/10/2002   Bush Administration Embraces Hydrogen - Cybercast News Service

Speaking Wednesday in Detroit, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced a new public-private partnership between the Energy Department and the nation's automobile manufacturers to promote the development of hydrogen as a primary fuel for cars and trucks. It's part of the effort to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil, Secretary Abraham said. "Under this new program, which we call Freedom CAR, the government and the private sector will fund research into advanced, efficient, fuel-cell technology which uses hydrogen to power automobiles without creating any pollution. "The long-term results of this cooperative effort will be cars and trucks that are more efficient, cheaper to operate, pollution-free and competitive in the showroom." The new push for hydrogen fuel cells replaces previous efforts to develop gasoline-electric "hybrid" cars. In his appearance at the Detroit Auto Show on Wednesday, Secretary Abraham said the goal of the new partnership is to mass produce affordable vehicles that run on hydrogen-power fuel cells, as well as the "hydrogen supply infrastructure" (stations) to refuel them.

1/10/2002   Fuel-Cell Makers Get Big Boost From Bush's Auto Subsidy Plan - Wall Street Journal

    The Freedom Car program has a more immediate target than producing practical fuel-cell transportation: opinion on Capitol Hill. The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have prompted louder calls for an energy policy that weans the nation off Mideast oil. Because cars and trucks account for such an outsized portion of U.S. petroleum consumption, the auto industry worries the attacks may strengthen environmentalists' calls to toughen the nation's Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, rules. Significant increases in the CAFE standards would make it harder for GM, Ford and Chrysler to keep cranking out highly profitable, but fuel-thirsty, sport-utility vehicles and pickup trucks. They and their supporters in Congress hope the Freedom Car program will deflect calls for tougher CAFE standards, a fight likely to intensify in coming weeks as the Senate debates a broad energy bill. ...As for the Freedom Car program's broader vision of the fuel cell displacing the internal-combustion engine, Big Three executives sought to tamp down expectations that they actually will build full lineups of fuel-cell vehicles anytime soon. They suggested it would take not just big government money, but a lot of the administration's political capital, to make what fuel-cell proponents call "the hydrogen future" a reality.  

1/10/2002   Government, Automakers Drop Gas Efficiency Bid to Seek Oil-Free Future by Alejandro Bodipo- Memba - Seattle Times/Knight Ridder

The 2002 budget for the project as it migrates from PNGV to Freedom CAR is $127 million. But Abraham did not offer any immediate goals for the program or reveal its future funding level, saying that number would be released when Bush submits his budget in a few weeks. The U.S. transportation sector is 95 percent dependent on petroleum, according to the Department of Energy. The United States imports about 10 million barrels a day, or more than 60 percent of its oil consumption. ...The end of the Partnership for a New Generation Project, which the Clinton administration established in 1993, also means the death of the so-called Super Car project. A favorite of former Vice President Al Gore, it called on U.S. automakers to develop affordable cars that get 80 mpg. It was supposed to result in production of prototype family vehicles in 2004. GM, Ford and Chrysler Group spent nearly $1 billion to come up with vehicles — including electric and hybrid-powered vehicles — that met the partnership's standards.

1/10/2002   Cars of the Future - USA Today

The up side is that the promise of fuel cells far exceeds the incremental improvements that could be made in internal-combustion engines. Two potential benefits stand out: A sharp cut in dependence on foreign oil. Fuel cells combine hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity. Among the sources of hydrogen: water, natural gas and biomass. Replacing just 20% of cars on the road today with fuel-cell-powered vehicles could cut oil consumption by 1.5 million barrels a day — roughly equal to all of the oil imported from Saudi Arabia. A big reduction in pollution. The only thing coming out of the tailpipe of a fuel-cell engine would be harmless water vapor. The auto industry is already making solid progress on the fuel-cell front. But serious hurdles remain before a safe and reasonably priced fuel-cell car hits the streets. The current timetable — a marketable fuel-cell car by 2010 — could be hastened with a focused research project.

1/10/2002   Sulzer to Make Fuel Cells Central to its Activity - L'Agefi Suisse (Switzerland)

Swiss group Sulzer announced the launch of its 'HXS 1000 Premiere' fuel cell, which can be used to produce heat and electricity from hydrogen, gas or ethanol, just as George Bush was revealing his support for fuel cell technology. German electricity groups EnBW, EWR and an Austrian consortium have tried out the latest prototype of the cell developed by the subsidiary Sulzer Hexis. Over 250 cells have already been sold and Sulzer hopes to sell 400 more between now and 2003. The group intends to make fuel cell technology a central priority for growth over the long term.

1/9/2002   USCAR Announces FreedomCAR Research Partnership with U.S. Department of Energy - U.S Council for Automotive Research

Executives from DaimlerChrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation joined Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today to announce a new cooperative automotive research (CAR) partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research (USCAR). The vision of FreedomCAR is petroleum-free cars and light trucks. The program will focus on the high-risk research needed to develop enabling technologies (e.g., fuel cells, the ability to produce hydrogen from domestic renewable sources, etc.) without sacrificing freedom of mobility, freedom of vehicle choice, or affordability. General Motors Chairman Jack Smith said, "With the FreedomCAR program, we are taking a major step towards creating a future where the vehicle is no longer part of the energy and environmental debate."

1/9/2002   U.S. Ends Car Plan on Gas Efficiency; Looks to Fuel Cells by Neela Banerjee with Danny Hakim - New York Times

The Bush administration is walking away from a $1.5 billion eight- year government-subsidized project to develop high-mileage gasoline- fueled vehicles. Instead it is throwing its support behind a plan that the Energy Department and the auto industry have devised to develop hydrogen-based fuel cells to power the cars of the future, administration and industry officials said yesterday. The new effort, to be announced in Detroit today by Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, aims at the eventual replacement of the internal combustion engine. Fuel cells use stored hydrogen and oxygen from the air to create electricity, and the only emission from engines they power is water vapor.

1/8/2002   Ballard Climbs as Smaller Generator Unveiled - Contracosta Times (California)

Ebara Ballard, which has been developing the electricity and heat generators in conjunction with Tokyo Gas, said the new 1 kw units are 40 percent smaller than earlier models and operate at higher efficiency.

1/8/2002   GM Unveils a New Car From Top to Bottom by Frank Swoboda  - Washington Post/Seattle Times

The Autonomy would accommodate customers' changing tastes by allowing them to buy a basic chassis, the six-inch-thick platform with the fuel cells, wheels and electric motors, and then choose what kind of body they want. When they tired of one body style, they could go to the dealer and trade in the old body for a new one.

1/8/2002   Interchangeable Body Styles Make Fuel Cells Intriguing Alternative - Michigan Live

1/72002   GM Fuel Cell Car Offers Cheap Transport - Northern Light/Reuters

Because fuel cells consume hydrogen and emit only water and heat, automakers have talked for years about the arrival of the cleaner technology over the next decade as a way to make cars more environmentally friendly and curtail the need for foreign oil. GM said its so-called Autonomy fuel cell car, which it says is the first vehicle designed exclusively for the fuel cell, could have a far broader impact. Autonomy houses all the essential elements of the car, including the fuel cell to provide power, in a skateboard-like chassis between the four wheels and under the body and seats of the vehicle. The chassis could be fitted with a wide variety of bodies, such as a minivan interior for a family in the United States, or a pickup truck bed for hauling livestock in China, GM said. Because the Autonomy chassis has a 20-year lifespan, a growing family could change from a sporty sedan to a larger sport utility vehicle by switching the body, a far cheaper alternative to buying a new vehicle. Or if the vehicle needs more power, the fuel cell can be expanded. ``This is more than just a technological or design experiment,'' said Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development and planning. ``Our end goal is nothing short of reinventing the automobile.''

1/2002    New Specialty Polymers Improve Fuel-Cell Economics - Plastics Technology

Early commercial versions of PEM cells have begun to show up in the past year in portable and emergency power units. For example, Ballard Power Systems in Burnaby, B.C., is field-testing a 250-kw stationary system for factories and a 1.2-kw system to replace small internal-combustion engines in hand-held appliances. ...The embryonic membrane market calls for a range of cost-performance and leaves room for numerous options, says Charles Stone, advanced materials v.p. at Ballard, which is partnering with Victrex to supply two alternatives for this market. One is Ballard's BAM ionomer, a partially fluorinated membrane with hydrocarbon pendant groups, which is said to cost less than Nafion. Even less expensive is a sulfonated variant of Victrex PEEK, a high-temperature resin.