There was also a recognisable trend towards commercialisation of products and prototypes. An increasing number of exhibitors demonstrated ready to use units, especially in the portable and small stationary sector. Even though these products are still not entirely competitive due to high purchasing costs, it was good to see the industry moving away from pure research and demonstration projects.
The German PEM fuel cell manufacturer Proton Motor exhibited a newly developed fuel cell system which is aimed to replace the battery pack in a forklift truck. The company is working together with the gas supplier Linde and the German forklift manufacturer Still. The project is sponsored by the Bavarian state government (south-east Germany) and the companies aim to operate the vehicle for about two years. The fuel cell system is the same size as the standardised battery pack and can therefore be an almost instant replacement for this technology.
On a smaller scale, the German research organisation Fraunhofer Institute presented a new design of its fuel cell system which can be used to power small devices, such as the professional video camera shown. Furthermore, the institute announced that it aims to focus on bringing a mobile 100W "Power Box" to the market in 2004. The system, jointly-developed with German office and fuel cell manufacturer Masterflex was already presented at the computer and IT fair CeBIT last month.
Axane, a subsidiary of the French industrial gas supplier AirLiquide, demonstrated a new prototype of PEM fuel cell system. The system, called "Roller Pac" is providing 2kW power generation at 230V. Due to the fact that the system is on wheels, it can be used as a portable unit as well, e.g. in the use as power supply for backup systems.
British component and system manufacturer Intelligent Energy showcased notable compact 4kW and 15 kW PEM stacks. The company also develops larger units at the moment, including a 50kW system (incorporating two 25kW stacks) which will be used to power a single engine lightweight Boeing aeroplane.
New systems were also presented by PlugPower (stacks), Roen Est (5kW PEM fuel cell system), Independent Power Technologies (6kW alkaline fuel cell) and the newly founded direct methanol fuel cell company Bee Power Systems (50-500W systems for portable and military applications).
Even though the two largest booths at the Hannover group exhibit were occupied by the two car manufacturers DaimlerChrysler and GM, no new light duty vehicles were on display. GM presented its HyWire and the hydrogen powered HydroGEN3 Zafira and DaimlerChrysler had the F-Cell A-class on its stand.
On the other hand, Swiss manufacturer MES-DEA presented a new fuel cell powered scooter. The vehicle, jointly-developed with European moped and motor bike manufacturer Aprilia is powered by a 3kW PEM fuel cell, derived from the now-defunct Novars.
Next year, the "Hydrogen & Fuel Cell" group exhibit will celebrate its 10th anniversary and we hope we will see even more ready to use, commercial fuel cell systems. We from Fuel Cell Today will be in Hannover again to bring you the latest developments and news from the fair.