NEWS

MEMBRANE FIND MAY BRING MASS MARKET FUEL-CELL CARS A STEP CLOSER
Tyler Hamilton
Technology Reporter
Silicon Valley start-up PolyFuel Inc. is set to announce today a new “membrane” technology that could speed up the mass-market introduction of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based firm said it is already attracting strong interest from most major auto makers, which have tested and verified what amounts to a lower-cost method of making higher-performance fuel cells.

“It takes fuel-cell vehicle technology a step closer to reality,” said Jim Balcom, the London, Ont.-born chief executive of PolyFuel.

“We anticipate that most of the leading fuel-cell developers will be using the PolyFuel membrane as they bring their products to market.”

The heart of any fuel cell is its internal membrane, which converts air and hydrogen into electricity and pure water.

In most fuel cells designed to power vehicles, the membrane is based on Dupont Inc.'s 40-year-old Teflon technology, known as perfluorinated membranes.

Balcom said that perfluorinated membranes involve the use of highly volatile chemicals that are expensive to handle, driving up the cost of the technology.

The technology has also not achieved the power levels and durability required to compete directly with the internal combustion engine.

As well, it doesn't work well in chilly Canadian winters or temperatures above 80 degrees Celsius.

PolyFuel decided to nanoengineer its own molecule for creating a new hydrocarbon membrane, which has proved more durable, less hazardous to produce, and 10 to 15 per cent more powerful.

It means fuel-cell engines can be designed much smaller at less cost.

“If it's true, that's pretty big news,” said MacMurray Whale, energy technology analyst with National Bank Financial.

Whale said the past decade or more of fuel-cell development has been dedicated to improving the performance of everything surrounding the membrane.

Many companies, including Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems Inc., have been trying to develop better membrane technology with little progress.

If PolyFuel's new membrane is embraced by the auto makers, it could force Ballard and others to license the technology, requiring a potentially costly redesign of their existing fuel-cell products.

Privately held PolyFuel also announced earlier this year a new membrane technology for direct-methanol fuel cells for powering portable electronics.

Like Balcom, many of PolyFuel's senior executives are Canadian - former Ballard employees - and its Canadian investors include Ventures West and Chrysalix Energy.

Membrane technology is just one barrier to achieving a hydrogen economy. Despite the breakthrough nature of PolyFuel's technology, Balcom said creating a hydrogen infrastructure and improving storage technologies remain major hurdles.