The drive to make fuel cell technology more viable is being led by small companies as much as the larger car marques, it has been claimed.

Recently, a number of automotive giants including Toyota, General Motors, Ford Motor and BMW unveiled their plans for fuel cell vehicles at the North American International Auto Show and underlined their commitment to the technology.

However, according to a report in the German edition of the Financial Times, small companies are also contributing, in particular Italian catalyst firm Acta, which is currently developing an electrolyser capable of deriving hydrogen from ammonia to be used in cars.

The electrolyser could prove a significant step on the route to making fuel cells more viable since ammonia is inexpensive and abundant, according to Toby Woolrych, Chief Operating Officer of the group.

Also looking to advance the technology are Ilika Technologies which is working on locating metals which combine with hydrogen in sufficiently large quantities to improve the driving range of fuel cells.

Large companies are also increasingly looking to enlist the assistance of their smaller rivals in the fuel cell field, Grame Purdy, Chief Executive Officer of Ilika, said.

He commented: "Auto companies are doing something similar to pharmaceutical companies: they are looking all over the world to see who has the best technology. "The core technology is being outsourced - that is a major move."

Source:

Small companies push back the boundaries on fuel cells, 21/01/08
http://www.ftd.de/karriere_management/business_english/:Business English Small/305285.html

http://www.ilika.com/

http://www.acta-nanotech.com/


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