IFC Boosts Power, Efficiency For Automotive Fuel Cells
6 March 2000
IFC Boosts Power, Efficiency For Automotive Fuel CellsLeapfrogs competition by 15 percent SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn., March 6 International Fuel Cells, Inc., (IFC), a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. , today announced it has developed a way to boost the power of automotive fuel cells while at the same time shrinking their size. This is a significant step toward commercializing fuel cells for automobiles. IFC has developed the technology to increase the amount of power a fuel cell will produce per liter, also known as the fuel cells' power density. The IFC fuel cell generates 1.5 kilowatts of power per liter, 15 percent more power than competitors' fuel cells. IFC announced the development of its improved fuel cell at today's meeting of the Society of Automotive Engineers in Detroit. "Our fuel cell performance exceeds the best power densities reported to date," said William T. Miller, IFC president. "In addition, our system operates at near atmospheric pressure which means it is quieter, less complex and more efficient than the pressurized systems more commonly under development." A fuel cell uses an electrochemical process to directly convert the chemical energy found in hydrogen into electricity and hot water. Because the fuel cell does not burn its fuel, it eliminates polluting air emissions. Fuel cells have been identified by the automotive industry as the most likely new technology to replace the internal combustion engine. IFC has an ongoing, aggressive program to develop automobile fuel cells and currently has contracts with five automobile makers to develop automotive fuel cells. A fuel cell developed for BMW was unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in October 1999. IFC is the only company producing stationary fuel cell systems commercially. The company currently markets the PC25, a 200-kilowatt fuel cell system for commercial applications. More than 190 PC25 systems have been delivered worldwide. PC25 systems now generate primary or supplementary power for data centers, hospitals, hotels, universities, military installations and manufacturers. In addition to developing automotive and stationary fuel cell systems, IFC also supplies the fuel cells used on the Space Shuttle.