New Industry Products

Astris Debuts New E7 Alkaline Fuel Cell Generator

December 28, 2004 by Jeff Shepard

Astris Energi Inc. (Mississauga, ON), a developer of alkaline fuel cell technology, announced that it has completed work on Freedom II, its second-generation golf car, which is powered by Astris' recently completed 1.8 kW, Model E7 AFC Generator, which gives Freedom II double the power and double the acceleration of the original model. The E7 can be used not only in golf cars, but also in a wide variety of mobile applications such as neighbourhood electric vehicles, boats and forklifts.

The Freedom II has a curb weight of 345 kg (760 lbs). It runs smoothly and silently, like an electric golf car, and can be refueled in minutes. Freedom II's E7 Generator is fueled by a 33 L, carbon-fiber cylinder of compressed hydrogen. Under typical usage, Freedom II can operate for over three days between refills.

The new, silent running, emission-free E7 Generator contains two 900 W Astris' POWERSTACK MC250 alkaline fuel cell stacks, giving the unit 1.8 kW nominal power and the capability to deliver a 20% overload factor for peak loads such as acceleration and hill climbing. The E7 Generator gives Freedom II a cruising speed of approximately 27 kph to 31 kph (17 mph to 19 mph), and the alkaline fuel cells keep the voltage supply at a constant level so that there is no "fading away," a familiar and unwanted characteristic of battery-powered golf cars.