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Fuel cells a viable green alternative for cars once again
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/driving-it-home/fuel-cells-a-viable-green-alternative-for-cars-once-again/article11504902/[font face=Serif][font size=5]Fuel cells a viable green alternative for cars once again[/font]
JEREM CATO
VANCOUVER — Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Apr. 23 2013, 3:28 PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Apr. 23 2013, 3:40 PM EDT
[font size=3]I had completely dismissed hydrogen fuel cells as a viable, affordable “green” alternative for light vehicles until I spent half a day touring Daimler AG’s big fuel cell centre in Burnaby, B.C., followed by a fascinating interview with the long-suffering CEO of former fuel cell darling Ballard Power Systems.
I was surprised at what’s been going on in fuel cells these past few years, and you may be too. And that’s saying something. I’ve been cynical about fuel cells for years and with good reason. From the late 1990s into the mid-2000s, I watched Ballard play the stock promotion game with some success, riding the tech wave of the time. Ballard stock soared and split and then tanked.
…
Today, however, Daimler AG is treating its fuel cell program like a real business, not a lure for investors looking to make a quick profit on a stock flip. Klaus Berger, vice president of the company’s Fuel Cell Division in Burnaby, B.C., tells me that by late 2017 he expects to have ground down the costs to a point where his company can produce a fuel cell powerplant at a price comparable to a diesel-electric hybrid.
…
To get the costs down, the plan is simple but the execution of it remains monumentally challenging. Berger says Daimler wants to get production volume up to a point where the company is churning out tens of thousands of fuel cells a year. At the same time, the Burnaby, B.C. facility he oversees – with its 50-plus engineers and technicians – is working to refine the manufacturing technology of fuel cells so that everything is efficient and there is no waste.
…[/font][/font]
JEREM CATO
VANCOUVER — Special to The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Apr. 23 2013, 3:28 PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Apr. 23 2013, 3:40 PM EDT
[font size=3]I had completely dismissed hydrogen fuel cells as a viable, affordable “green” alternative for light vehicles until I spent half a day touring Daimler AG’s big fuel cell centre in Burnaby, B.C., followed by a fascinating interview with the long-suffering CEO of former fuel cell darling Ballard Power Systems.
I was surprised at what’s been going on in fuel cells these past few years, and you may be too. And that’s saying something. I’ve been cynical about fuel cells for years and with good reason. From the late 1990s into the mid-2000s, I watched Ballard play the stock promotion game with some success, riding the tech wave of the time. Ballard stock soared and split and then tanked.
…
Today, however, Daimler AG is treating its fuel cell program like a real business, not a lure for investors looking to make a quick profit on a stock flip. Klaus Berger, vice president of the company’s Fuel Cell Division in Burnaby, B.C., tells me that by late 2017 he expects to have ground down the costs to a point where his company can produce a fuel cell powerplant at a price comparable to a diesel-electric hybrid.
…
To get the costs down, the plan is simple but the execution of it remains monumentally challenging. Berger says Daimler wants to get production volume up to a point where the company is churning out tens of thousands of fuel cells a year. At the same time, the Burnaby, B.C. facility he oversees – with its 50-plus engineers and technicians – is working to refine the manufacturing technology of fuel cells so that everything is efficient and there is no waste.
…[/font][/font]
