Enable Fuel Cell Acquires Exclusive Rights of PEM Fuel Cell Technology
The Enable Fuel Cell Corp. (Middleton, WI), a wholly owned subsidiary of DCH Technology Inc. (Valencia, CA), has acquired the exclusive rights and associated technology of a hydrogen PEM fuel cell that lends itself to high-volume manufacturing and assembly, and the use of a packaged solid fuel cell.
Rights to the design by Ulf Bossel, a world-renowned fuel cell authority, have been sold to Enable. Enable is moving aggressively toward bringing the product to market. Bossel will serve as an advisor to Enable on engineering, testing and manufacturing of his innovative technology.
The Bossel design is a unique design with three key areas. The first feature is a highly efficient, proprietary system for fueling the cell with hydride powder, a chemical similar to limestone in its benign effects. With the aid of the new technology, the user simply needs to add a replaceable sealed canister of powder to the bottom of the cell stack and water to a small compartment at the top of the stack. The water generates electricity.
The second feature of the design is stamped metal components, which can be produced and assembled at a high volume. This feature puts to rest the nagging concern of volume manufacturing, according to Enable. These metal stamps replace difficult-to-manufacture carbon components in the cell.
The most important feature of the PEM fuel cell is the simple, safe package. This portability is important to Enable management and makes it as easy for a consumer to approach PEM as they would a flashlight battery.
"Bossel's innovations compliment our own technologies extremely well," said Stephanie Hoffman, general manager and vice president of Enable. "Particularly how they readily integrate with our own unique circular PEM architectures and the power flow and heat-management advantages that they provide."
