Obama Seeks to Use Oil and Gas Money to Develop Alternative Fuel Cars  

Warning that the United States risks falling behind in the international race to develop alternative energy, President Obama on Friday proposed diverting $2 billion in revenue from federal oil and gas royalties over the next decade to pay for research on advanced vehicles.

Mr. Obama has given up on moving comprehensive climate change legislation through Congress and has ruled out a carbon tax as a way to finance the development of alternative energy sources, so he is pursuing smaller projects that do not require new sources of revenue. The Energy Security Trust, as he calls his proposal to shift oil and gas royalties to alternative energy research, is one of those projects.

The money will support research on a range of cleaner means of powering vehicles, the White House said, including electricity, biofuels, fuel cells and produced natural gas. Read more

Mar 7

Obama's Hydrogen Push Coming Soon  

We think it is fair to say that pure electric vehicles have not panned out as both government and auto industry bigwigs had hoped. This has both parties switching gears, and perhaps even getting on the same page for once. A new report says that the Department of Energy is planning to push hydrogen fuel cell technology, and some automakers are optimistic about this shift.

The Obama Administration pushed hard for electric vehicles, but the goal of having 1 million EVs on the road by 2016 seems extremely unlikely at this point. Instead, the Department of Energy is forming a commision called H2USA, which will work with automakers to figure out how to get a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle on the road. Read more

Mar 3

Ballard Receives $4M Strategic Investment From South Africa's Anglo American Platinum Limited  

Ballard Power Systems has announced signing of a definitive agreement with Anglo American Platinum Limited, under which Anglo American Platinum will invest $4 million in Ballard through its PGM Development Fund, to support continued commercial advancement of the Company's fuel cell products in target market applications.

Anglo American Platinum's interest in the growth of fuel cell market adoption extends beyond the implications for platinum utilization, to the potential transformational impact fuel cells could have on the economy in South Africa.

An example of this latter impact is the joint work currently underway between Ballard and Anglo American Platinum on development of a prototype Home Generator. This product is intended to address the need of many households in remote rural communities for economical electric power. The Home Generator will be built with Ballard fuel cells and run on readily available methanol fuel, utilizing an integrated fuel reformer. Work on the fuel reformer will also benefit Ballard's ElectraGenTM methanol-fuelled systems, which provide power solutions to the telecommunications industry. Read more

Mar 4

Hyundai Celebrates World's First Assembly Line Production of Zero-Emissions Fuel Cell Vehicles 

A white Hyundai Motor Co. ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle rolled off the assembly line at the company's Ulsan manufacturing complex today, as Hyundai became the world's first car manufacturer to begin assembly-line production of zero-emissions, hydrogen-powered vehicles for fleet use.

The ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle, based on Hyundai's popular ix35 SUV, exited the assembly line at Hyundai Motor's Plant No. 5 during a launch event attended by Hyundai management and VIPs.
"With the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle, Hyundai is leading the way into the zero-emissions future," Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman, Eok Jo Kim said at the ceremony today. 

"The ix35 Fuel Cell is the most eco-friendly vehicle in the auto industry and proves that hydrogen fuel cell technology in daily driving is no longer a dream." Read more

Mar 1

Navy to field-test fuel cell and solar military renewable energy system 

Military renewable energy experts in the U.S. Navy are testing a trailer-mounted regenerative fuel cell system that could save money and warfighter lives, Navy officials say.

The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in Ridgecrest, Calif., are evaluating a system that consists of a fuel cell and an array of solar panels that can be towed behind ground vehicles and generate about 5,000 Watts of electricity.

The fuel cell is an energy producing device that takes hydrogen in as its fuel, and through an electrochemical reaction, makes electricity. The only by-product of the process is water and heat. Electrolysis, running a current through water, produces hydrogen and oxygen. This system stores the hydrogen and then feeds it back into the fuel cell. Read more