US DOT publishes final rule for transporting fuel cells on aircraft

On 14 January 2009, the US Department of Transportation's (US DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) published its final rule allowing transport of fuel cells and a wide range of fuels on board US passenger aircraft as carry-on baggage, the US Fuel Cell Council (USFCC) has reported. This new rule also provides for routine cargo shipment of fuel cells and fuel cell cartridges by road and rail, as well as international ocean shipment in bulk.

"Airline passengers in the US and around the world can now bring a wide variety of fuel cell power systems on board with them. These fuel cell power systems might power laptops, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video players and a whole new range of electronic equipment that might benefit from the long life of clean, efficient fuel cell power," said Robert Wichert, USFCC Technical Director, who led the USFCC's effort to gain international approval for fuel cells and their fuels.

"The fuel cell industry applauds the diligent effort of the US DOT and PHMSA for their timely issuance; we look forward to continuing to work with them to bring the unique advantages of fuel cells to the consumer public," Wichert said.

Fuel cell system fuels allowed on board as carry-on baggage had previously been limited to only liquid and liquefied gases. The broadening of the regulations to include other fuels helps fuel cell companies bring their products to the high-value airline passenger market. Some companies have said products are due out within a few months; this action removes the last barrier to fuel cell deployment on board aircraft for many developers.

The final rule can be found on PHMSA's site or at the Federal Register site: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/. A list of commercially available fuel cell devices can be found on the USFCC web site.

Source: US Fuel Cell Council