Californian fuel cell firm UltraCell has won the Frost & Sullivan 2007 Product Innovation award for North America.

The award was presented to the company for its reformed methanol fuel cells (RMFCs), which are twice as efficient as direct methanol fuel cells.

Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Viswanathan Krishnan said: "We believe UltraCell's work could accelerate the commercialisation of cost-efficient, effective fuel cells for portable military, industrial and consumer electronic devices.

"We selected UltraCell for the 2007 Product Innovation Award for its novel approach to design and its continued advance in the competitive fuel cell industry."

James Kaschmitter, UltraCell Chief Executive and President, said: "Technological innovation is at the center of our efforts to provide cleaner, more efficient portable power, and we are committed to developing premier technologies in the field of methanol-based fuel cells.

"We are particularly honoured to be recognised by Frost & Sullivan in this way for our industry-leading work in fuel cell design."

The RMFC XX25 model was launched on the market last June for portable electronic devices. It weighs 4kg and can provide power for 72 hours. It is hoped that by 2011 the product will be as small as a current lithium ion battery.

The RMFC works by reforming a highly concentrated methanol solution to generate hydrogen.



Source:

Ultra Cell Wins Award For Innovation, 25/04/07
http://www.h2daily.com/news/ultracell-wins-award-for-innovation-20070425-294-50.html

UltraCell(R) Receives Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Innovation, 24/04/07
http://www.sys-con.com/read/366045.htm

Africa: Battery Advances and Low Laptop Prices May Spur Next Round of Growth, 23/04/07
http://allafrica.com/stories/200704230493.html

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