Jul 19 2006
In remarks delivered yesterday, the CEO of a leading player in the fuel cell market urged The United States Congress to increase funding for portable fuel cell programs in order to preserve U.S. technology leadership and catalyze the market for fuel cells for automobiles and stationery power.
"While automotive and stationary power systems will one day enable society to realize the environmental benefits of fuel cells, it is portable fuel cells that will achieve widespread adoption in the near term, provide experience to industry and consumers, create a supply base, and drive economies of scale," said Jim Balcom, president and CEO of PolyFuel, Inc. "The success of fuel cells in the portable market will directly benefit the longer term commercialization of automotive and stationary fuel cells. I strongly believe that governments and organizations that want to have a leadership role in automotive and stationary fuel cells must play an active role in the introduction of fuel cells into the portable market today."
Balcom explained that more than any other factor, the key variable that drives rapid technological and commercial progress in any industry is market demand. The exploding market demand for portable fuel cells is driven by an increasing disparity between consumer desire for enhanced functionality in portable devices (such as streaming video and music on cell phones and laptop computers) and the power limitations of conventional batteries. This so called "run-time gap" will drive portable fuel cells to mass commercialization within the next few years – well before automotive fuel cells become economically viable, or stationary power fuel cells become widely deployed. Portable device manufacturers engaged in fuel cell systems development include BYD, Fujitsu, Hitachi, LG, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony and Toshiba; and all of these companies are well positioned to roll-out a fuel cell solution to address the "run-time gap" in the near term.
Importantly, portable fuel cell development and commercialization will "catalyze" the automotive and stationary fuel cell sectors by resolving key challenges such as cost and durability. One of the key technologies that significantly impacts the performance of fuel cells is the "membrane" – a thin "plastic" film that determines how much power is generated by the fuel cell, and at what temperature, size, and cost. PolyFuel, which is a leading provider of fuel cell membranes for both portable and automotive applications, is actively exploiting the inherent synergies between the two in order to reduce cost, increase durability, and maximize performance of fuel cell systems.
"Mass adoption of portable fuel cells will have a catalyzing impact on the commercialization timelines for fuel cells in the automotive and stationary markets. Wherever possible, the U.S. Government should increase financial support for research, development, demonstration, and commercialization of portable fuel cell technology."
http://www.polyfuel.com