Technology in the NewsOverview |
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From “Ballard-Ford-Daimler Venture Speeds Fuel Cell Progress”
by Kate McLeod, Edmunds AutoObserver.com, November 26, 2007 For many years, investors were told that fuel-cell powered cars would be the way to cash in on the promising clean technology that produces power with little or no pollution … … "Maybe at some level, emotively, people find cars more alluring and more sexy, but when you think from an investment opportunity and where you can make a real impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, (commercial markets) are going to be where you can drive a large volume of clean energy products." Despite a push to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and produce environmentally friendly cars, fuel-cell companies are no longer promising investors fleets of fuel cell-powered vehicles are just around the corner. Instead, they are suggesting that more practical niche markets such as forklifts, backup power generators and co-generation for home and industrial use are the way to cash in on the clean technology. From “Fuel-cell developers shifting focus from autos; Looking to practical niche markets such as forklifts,” The Toronto Star, November 22, 2007 A small company like Ballard cannot justify pouring the amount of money into the development work that it takes to develop fuel cells for automotive,” says Guzy. “We have to have returns for our shareholders. The deal with Daimler and Ford allows a small public company like Ballard to focus on commercial markets, and the auto companies to focus on developing the fuel cell for automotive applications. From “Ballard fuel cells to power UK buses” From “Ballard Power spins off fuel cell concern” Business in Vancouver November 15, 2007 Transport for London has selected Burnaby's Ballard Power Systems Inc. (TSX:BLD) to provide modules for five fuel cell-powered buses in London starting in 2009. The project will be the first to incorporate a 75 kW version of Ballard's new HD6 module in a fuel cell hybrid transit bus. The contract is valued at US$3.1 million and includes equipment sales and engineering services. Ballard had previously provided power sources for three Mercedes Benz Citaro fuel cell buses in London between 2003 and 2006 as part of the Clean Urban Transit for Europe bus program. Ballard's share price range during the past week: between $4.84 and $5.24; 52-week high: $9.15; 52-week low: $4.32. by Alan Dowd, Reuters November 8, 2007 The transaction to sell certain of Ballard’s automotive fuel cell assets with major shareholders Daimler AG and Ford Motor Co. will let Ballard concentrate on developing fuel cell technology for uses that are closer to commercial fruition and reduce cash drain, the company said yesterday. "We initiated [the deal]. This imbalance has been a clear challenge that has been a high priority for our management team and our board over the last few years,' chief executive John Sheridan told analysts … … Ballard will be able to use the technology developed for automobiles in fuel cells for forklifts and backup power generators, applications it has also pursued. It will also continue to build fuel cells for buses … … BMO Capital Markets analyst Brian Piccioni said Ballard deserve credit for changing its focus to other products that have better financial prospects. From “Clinton, Ballard team on fuel cell-powered buses” by Nathan Vanderklippe, The National Post November 2, 2007 Ballard Power Systems Inc. hopes a relationship it has formed with a new Bill Clinton initiative will boost its sales, the company said yesterday as the former U.S. president told a Vancouver audience the move toward green energy presents this generation's greatest potential for profit. "I honestly believe that changing the way in which we use energy is the greatest economic opportunity that developed societies have had since the U.S. and Canada and others mobilized since World War II,' Mr. Clinton told the 1,750 people who paid as much as $400 to see him. 'If we do it right.' It's an ambition Mr. Clinton has already begun to pursue by leveraging his considerable powers of influence to bring together makers of new technologies in lighting, concrete -- and Ballard's fuel cells -- with groups of potential buyers to drive sales in a way that will lower costs and speed acceptance rates. From “Fuel cells meet batteries” by Corinne Kator, Modern Materials Handling November 1, 2007 A developer of hydrogen fuel cells and a maker of lead-acid batteries are collaborating to develop a hybrid energy system for lift trucks that uses both a battery and a fuel cell. Canadian fuel cell manufacturer Ballard Power Systems (www.ballard.com) and Exide Technologies (www.exide.com), the parent company of battery maker GNB Industrial Power, announced last month their agreement to work together on a contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop the hybrid system. The system will use a fuel cell to recharge a lead-acid battery while the battery remains in the lift truck, says Mark Jesko, director of marketing for GNB. The battery will do its traditional work of providing power and counterweight, he says, while the fuel cell will eliminate the need to lift heavy batteries out of trucks for hours of electric charging…. Jesko says he sees the hybrid system as an alternative to today's fast-charging systems that allow lead-acid batteries to be plugged in and recharged throughout the day, usually during drivers' breaks and lunches. |
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