Smart Fuel Cells for RVs

Energy Security
Prepared by the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security

September 29, 2003
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Focus: Iraq

Minding Its Business
Saudi Arabia, which has demonstrated its willingness to use its vast oil reserves as a foreign policy tool, has not acted to aid U.S. efforts to rebuild Iraq.

Fencing in looters and saboteurs in Iraq
Too many people in and outside of Iraq are hoping to deny Iraq a better future through a campaign of sabotage and plunder of the country's neglected oil facilities. The problem, and possible solutions.

Background

Prospects on Russia’s stance towards OPEC
In September Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Prince Abdullah made the first visit to Russia by a Saudi head of state in over seven decades. The future of Moscow’s stance towards OPEC is a critical question for the world oil market. Will Russia be willing to cooperate with OPEC and thus further strengthen the power of the cartel to set a price range for oil?

Energy security and liquefied natural gas
Demand for natural gas has increased as have the security vulnerabilities presented by liquefied natural gas terminals and tankers.

Under the Radar

Oil, terrorism and drugs intermingle in Colombia
Seventy U.S. Special Forces soldiers are training Colombians to protect an oil pipeline.

Japan's struggle to secure future oil supply
Energy dependent Japan looks to Iran for oil, causing tension with the U.S.

Chad-Cameroon pipeline project put to test
Will the pipeline, partially financed by the World Bank, improve the lot of Chad and Cameroon or exacerbate existing corruption and strife?

Natural resource curse hits São Tomé
A tiny West African country illustrates a well known problem.

On the technology front

Smart Fuel Cells for RVs
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG is selling a fuel cell system for use in recreational vehicles (RVs) that weighs less than 5% the weight of a leadacid battery of similar capacity.

Rentech announces progress on Australian coal-to-diesel project
The Latrobe Valley in eastern Victoria, Australia is the leading choice for what could be the first "clean" production of gas and sulfur-free diesel and naphtha in Australia from the processing of coal.

GTI reports significant results from direct methanol fuel cell membrane
A new membrane developed by the Gas Technology Institute for proton exchange membrane fuel cells has substantially improved direct methanol fuel cell system performance.

San Francisco and Honda to partner on fuel cell car program
American Honda announced last week that it will supply two Honda FCX hydrogen powered fuel cell vehicles, the world's first commercially certified fuel cell car, to the City of San Francisco.

Fuel Cell Locomotive for Military and Commercial Railways
An international consortium is developing the world’s largest fuel cell vehicle, a 109 metric-ton, 1 MW locomotive.

Fuel cell power plant installed at NJ Sheraton
A stationary fuel cell will supply 250 kilowatts of electric power as well as heat to the Sheraton Edison Hotel, accounting for about 25 percent of the hotel's electricity and hot water.

Fuel cell scooters for Europe and China
Palcan's fuel cell powered scooter is designed to address the world's need for a low-end mass transport vehicle.

U.S. Air Force to get fuel cell bus
Fuel cell powered thirty-foot hybrid bus to be stationed at the Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii.

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Smart Fuel Cells for RVs

SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG has optimized a fuel cell system for use in recreational vehicles (RVs) together with Hymer, the leading manufacturer in this market. At the "Caravan Salon Dusseldorf" trade show, the companies demonstrated how easily the fuel cell system can be installed in an RV and provide electricity to the board grid, providing power for a refrigerator, TV, lights or other devices.

The SFC A25 fuel cell system reliably provides 50 amph per day, sufficient for the typical electricity demand of RVs and sailing yachts - in summer and in winter. With a single fuel cartridge of 0.66 gallons of methanol, a hydrogen rich liquid fuel with physical characteristics similar to gasoline, the SFC A25 runs for 70 to 80 hours at full power. A cartridge weighs under 5 pounds, less than 5% of the 110 pound weight of traditional leadacid batteries of similar capacity. Saving weight on an RV is important in order to keep the vehicle`s gross weight within permissible limits.

The compact, lightweight, silent, and high-capacity SFC system is an attractive power supply in the leisure market. Traditionally, owners and users of RVs have used solutions such as large batteries coupled to generators or photovoltaic systems. These conventional solutions easily cost several thousand dollars, yet present drawbacks such as limited reliability (solar cells) or high noise emissions and pollution (generators).

In addition to RVs and caravans, the SFC system can provide power to other devices including boats and remotely operated devices such as sensors or data transmission equipment.

Manfred Stefener, founder and CEO of SFC states "We are proud to have achieved what many companies have been working on for a long time: Offering commercially viable, reliable, easy-to-use fuel cell products for the end user," adding "We have tested our product intensively in many field tests - even under extreme conditions. The SFC A25 is very robust, safe, and reliable."

The SFC A25 is labelled with the "CE" sign, indicating full compliance with all applicable European regulations concerning health, safety, and environment. The exchangeable methanol fuel cartridge is labelled with the "GS" sign, indicating "safety tested".

Stefener: "The SFC A25 is the best and most reliable power supply for RVs and sailing boats - situations where people have suffered for a long time from impractical solutions regarding the supply of electricity. People have spent thousands of Euros for photovoltaic systems, gensets and additional storage batteries, and the related installation costs, despite of the fact that these devices have very limited benefits. The SFC A25 has a superior customer benefit and enables true independence off the grid."

Also see:
DOE: Clean Coal-to-Methanol project a success.
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