Fuel Cells With SFC Technology Win US DOD Contest;

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany, October 5, 2008

SFC Smart Fuel Cell announced that two portable fuel cell systems integrating SFC technology won first and third prizes in the U.S. Defense Department’s Wearable Power Competition. The Department of Defense Research and Engineering established the Wearable Power Competition in 2007 to encourage innovation in energy systems carried by personnel during field missions. Attached to a standard military vest, the systems were required to provide 20W of average electric power for 96 hours, meet brief peak-power demand of up to 200W and weigh no more than 4 kg (8.8 pounds) and pass a simulated field use. 

The two fuel cells integrating SFC technology competed with nearly 170 entries in the inaugural Wearable Power Competition. In a team effort with DuPont, the new SFC electrical power system, the M-25 Portable Fuel Cell, won the $1 million first prize. The M-25, which combines utilizes DuPont’s direct methanol technology with SFC's technology, was deployed for limited use in the field for the U.S. Army earlier this year.  The JENNY fuel cell, entered by SFC’s partner Capitol Connections LLC of Middleburg, Va., won $250,000 for third prize in the competition.  In both systems, the hybrid battery was still fully charged, with substantial amounts of fuel left in the cartridge at the end of the demanding 96-hour test protocol. 

SFC also announced that it was opening a sales and technical service office in Atlanta, Georgia.  Company CEO Dr. Peter Podesser said that “[t]he United States is a key and fast-growing market for SFC and our new office is intended to be our first step towards establishing full U.S. operations. Establishing a team of SFC experts on the East Coast will enable us to work even more closely with our defense and commercial partners,” said Podesser. “The new headquarters in the U.S. will serve to further enhance our collaboration with our technology partners as well as help us to increase our market penetration into the U.S.”

Source: Fuel Cell Today