May 14, 2013
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Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota Join DOE in Fuel Cells Push

Hyundai Motor Co., Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit, Nissan Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. have linked with the U.S. Department of Energy to prepare for the first major wave of hydrogen-powered cars, the department said today.

The formation of the public-private partnership, which will focus on hydrogen fueling infrastructure and is named H2USA after the chemical symbol for hydrogen, was first reported in March by Automotive News.

"By bringing together key stakeholders from across the U.S. fuel cell and hydrogen industry, the H2USA partnership will help advance affordable fuel cell electric vehicles that save consumers money and give drivers more options," David Danielson, an assistant secretary at DOE, said in a statement.

May 9, 2013
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Ballard To Sponsor Event Detailing Case Study: Fuel Cell Backup Power During Hurricane Sandy

Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP)(TSX: BLD) announced today that it is sponsoring a live, complimentary webinar event entitled "Hurricane Sandy and Commercially Tested Fuel Cell Backup Power Solutions" on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 2:00 PM EDT. Interested participants may register for the webinar from the 'Events' section of Ballard's homepage, http://www.ballard.com.

The upcoming webinar will be hosted by Eric Denhoff, CEO of the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and will feature presentations from two notable experts: Kyla Reid, Head of the Disaster Response Programme at GSMA; and Lennox McCartney, President of Precision Power and Air Bahamas. The presenters will provide insights into the benefits of alternative power technology in extreme situations, including a hands-on case study of fuel cell backup power system performance in the Caribbean during Hurricane Sandy.

May 6, 2013
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Natural Gas Boom Drives Support For Fuel Cells

At a really basic level, a fuel cell is like a battery—it makes and stores electricity.  But unlike batteries that die or need to be recharged, fuel cells get their power from a chemical source—mostly hydrogen.  As long as the hydrogen keeps flowing, the fuel cell keeps working.  And that’s where natural gas comes in.  Natural gas is mostly methane, which is made up of carbon and lots of hydrogen.  With all the natural gas drilling going on in Ohio, backers of fuel cell technology see opportunities ahead.

April 29, 2013
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South Carolina BMW Factory Goes Green

BMW's South Carolina assembly plant is reaping the benefits of going green."It saves money and it also makes us more efficient," says Josef Kerscher, president of BMW Manufacturing.  Kerscher has overseen the "greening" of the South Carolina plant over the last five years.

Forklifts have been retrofitted to run off hydrogen fuel cells and energy is produced on-site from landfill gas.  "We've reduced the energy consumption per unit manufactured here more than 40% over the last five years," he points out.  The EPA was so impressed it recently added BMW to its Green Power Partners list for generating on-site, renewable energy.  With nearly 40 percent of its energy produced on site, BMW leads the country in relying on renewables.  Kerscher expects other companies to follow suit.

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