California Approves New ZEV Rules. California’s Air Resources Board (ARB) unanimously approved a staff proposal requiring approximately 15 percent of all vehicles sold in California by 2025 to be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). The new ZEV rules aim to cut both tailpipe emissions and greenhouse gases by 75 percent and 34 percent, respectively, and could put nearly 1.4 million zero-emission cars on California’s roads by 2025, an estimated 500,000 of which would be battery-electric and fuel cell cars.
Ballard Signs MOU with Tata Motors, Delivers Fuel Cells to TUTTO in Brazil. Ballard Power Systems has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tata Motors for 12 FCvelocityTM-1100 fuel cell stacks that will be used in fuel cell buses planned for demonstration in various Indian cities. The fuel cells are expected to be delivered to Tata Motors in 2012 and 2013. Tata Motors recently displayed India’s first fuel cell bus, with a Ballard fuel cell stack, at the Auto Expo 2012 show. Ballard also shipped 3 of its 150 kW FCvelocityTM-HD6 fuel cell power modules to TuttoTrasporti (TUTTO) of Brazil as part of a UNDP-EMTU (United Nations Development Programme - Empresa Metropolitana de Transportes Urbanos) bus program.
UKH2Mobility Launches. A new initiative in the United Kingdom, UKH2Mobility, brings together three government agencies, 13 corporate participants, and the European Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Joint Undertaking to evaluate the potential of hydrogen as a transport fuel by the end of 2012. If the results are positive, an action plan will detail the steps needed to prepare the UK for commercial deployment of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles in 2014-2015.
M&S to Be First UK Fuel Cell Forklift Customer. Mark & Spencer (M&S) has signed a pilot agreement with ITM Power for the UK’s first hydrogen fuel cell materials handling trial using on site hydrogen generation. M&S will deploy several fuel cell forklifts at its 1.1 million sq. ft. Prologis Park Distribution Center for a six-week trial, using the ITM Power HFuel platform to generate hydrogen to fuel the vehicles.
Fifteen Hydrogen-Fueled Rickshaws Take to New Delhi Streets. The world’s first fleet of hydrogen-fueled rickshaws took the streets in New Delhi, India, thanks to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) International Centre for Hydrogen Energy Technologies (UNIDO-ICHET) based in Istanbul, Turkey. The rickshaws will be refueled from an Air Products’ station at Delhi’s Pragati Maidan, where the fleet will be operating.
STATIONARY POWER
ClearEdge Enters $500 Million Agreement with Güssing. ClearEdge Power has entered into a multi-phase $500 million agreement with Güssing Renewable Energy GmbH with the ultimate goal of producing 50 megawatts (MW) energy from fuel cells in the Republic of Austria by 2020. Under the agreement, Güssing Renewable Energy has agreed to sell, install and service ClearEdge systems in Austria and also has the opportunity to foster adoption within Western European markets. In the first phase, ClearEdge Power will deliver 8.5 MW of fuel cells to Güssing over the next 36 months.
German Market Opening for CFCL. sanevo blue energy, a sales partner of Ceramic Fuel Cells Limited’s BlueGen fuel cell product, has received customer commitments for its first order of 100 BlueGen units, including from public energy utilities in six German states as well as from residential and commercial customers. The fuel cells are expected to be delivered and installed in the next six months.
FCE’s Fleet Marks One Billion Hours. FuelCell Energy, Inc. has reached a significant milestone with its Direct FuelCell® power plants achieving one billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity produced since 2003.
FUELS/REFORMERS/STORAGE
Santa’s Station? H2 Logic A/S opened a hydrogen refueling station 150 meters north of the polar circle, at the Arctic Driving Center in Finland. The station, operated by Oy Woikoski Ab, is based on H2 Logic’s H2Station® technology and provides hydrogen at 700 bar for fuel cell electric vehicles being tested by car manufacturers in extreme cold climate conditions.
Hydrogenics to Supply Electrolyzer to Netherlands. Hydrogenics Corporation will supply a HySTAT®30 electrolyzer to Ballast Nedam IPM for integration into a hydrogen fueling station in the Netherlands. The fueling station will be owned by Waterstofnet, a non-profit organization financed by the Flemish and Dutch governments.
ITM Receives CE Compliance. After securing a contract to design and supply a refueling product to The University of Nottingham, ITM Power has achieved CE (Conformité Européenne or European Conformity) compliance for a standardized HFuel product, its transportable hydrogen refueling system. ITM Power also added a stationary electrolyzer product to its portfolio (HPac40) which has also achieved CE compliance.
REPORTS/MARKET STUDIES
Fuel Cells and Hydrogen in China. Fuel Cell Today has published a new report, Fuel Cells and Hydrogen in China, which provides an overview of China’s past, present and future activities with fuel cells and hydrogen.
Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Interagency Action Plan. The Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Interagency Task Force and Interagency Working Group released their Interagency Action Plan (IAP) which guides collaborative federal agency efforts to research, develop, demonstrate, and deploy hydrogen and fuel cell technologies.
REQUESTS FOR PROPOSALS
FCH JU Call for Proposals. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) has allocated €150 million for fuel cell and hydrogen research and demonstration projects, with €77.5 million from the European Commission matched by in-kind contributions from industry and research organizations. The 2012 call for proposals covers 31 topics divided into 5 application areas: transportation and refueling infrastructure; hydrogen production and distribution; stationary power generation, early markets and cross-cutting issues.
DOE RFI. The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Information asking for stakeholder feedback on the commercial readiness of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. Topics covered include: auxiliary power on board commercial, heavy duty road vehicles for refrigeration; fuel cell battery rechargers for all electric vehicles used for transporting freight or passengers; and technology deployment projects for other on or off road transportation markets.
MISCELLANEOUS
Fuel Cell Technologies Program Newsletter.
DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Program has launched a new monthly newsletter that will include a recap of the previous month’s news and events as well as a preview of program upcoming activities. To subscribe, please go to http://www1.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/subscribe.html.
