Shimastu Electronic Co. Ltd. (China) unveiled its NP12-12 sealed lead-acid (SLA) battery, which has a nominal 12V, 12Ah capacity; lasts 1,200 to...
Haoxin Science and Development Co. Ltd. (Shanghai, China) announced its new HX-3310 lithium-ion battery, designed for use in Nokia's 3310 model mobile...
The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC, Woodlands, TX), a consortium comprised of Southern Company, Texaco Energy Systems Inc., and Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development Inc., has successfully connected a 5kW proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system into the electric grid. The unit, manufactured by Plug Power Inc. (Latham, NY), is believed to be the […]
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA, Arlington, VA), has tapped Boeing Co. (Chicago, IL) to design a fuel-cell-based propulsion system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). DARPA said it would use currently available automotive fuel cell technology to speed up the process. The three-step project calls for Boeing's Unmanned Systems organization to design the […]
In order to help the state transition from a fossil fuel vehicle center to a hydrogen economy, Michigan will break ground on a fuel cell research center this October. Michigan has allocated $50.0 million for the center, to be called NextEnergy, which will be built in Ann Arbor. NextEnergy will serve as a research lab […]
A microbial fuel cell is under development at the University of California, Berkeley, Department of Mechanical Engineering that might revolutionize drug-delivery systems....
Celanese Ventures GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) will cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing line, powered by fuel cells, for producing modules containing proton-exchange membranes (PEM). The membrane is made from polybenzimidazole (pbi), a polymer now used in firefighters' protective garments because it can withstand high heat. The company claims that the pbi modules will double […]
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has announced that it will subsidize projects to develop fuel cells for use in mobile phones and notebook computers, starting from the next fiscal year. The Ministry will request several hundred million yen for the subsidy program in the budget for the year from next April, in a […]
Whistler Inc. (Sacramento, CA) CEO Kevin Garner was snared in an FBI sting operation and arrested in New York City on two charges of conspiring to launder money. The FBI says an undercover agent, posing as a member of a Colombian drug cartel, approached Garner with an offer to conduct "financial transactions" involving proceeds from […]
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan, Quebec, Canada) announced plans to unveil a prototype hydrogen fuel-cell-powered mining locomotive. The first demonstration of the mining locomotive will be at NRCan's experimental mine in Val-d'Or, Quebec. The locomotive was developed by the FuelCell Propulsion Institute, a consortium of government, industry and academia. NRCan is a full partner in the […]
IdaTech Corp. (Bend, OR) announced its new FPM 20 fuel processor module, which incorporates a steam reformer and the company's patented, two-stage...
Fuel cell developer Sulzer Hexis Ltd. (Winterthur, Switzerland) has signed a distribution agreement with natural-gas supplier Gasverbund Mittelland AG (GVM, Arlesheim, Switzerland)...
Advanced Analogic Technologies Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA) announced its new SmartSwitch family of load switches, which integrate a wide variety of functions to reduce component count, cost and power consumption in small form factor portable systems. Built around low-resistance, p-channel power MOSFETs, the SmartSwitch line is suitable for cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras and other consumer […]
Metallic Power Inc. (Carlsbad, CA) announced that one of its zinc fuel cells successfully provided backup power to a cell site during power interruptions. The device provided 1.8kW of backup power in a rack-mounted configuration that included a 6kWh fuel tank to supply over three hours of continuous power under full load. The fuel cell […]
Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) announced that it will stop selling its Th!nk electric vehicles (EVs) in the US at the end...