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 n a significant
achievement that brings highly efficient, zero-emission vehicles
closer to commercialization, Plug Power announced today that
it has demonstrated to Ford Motor Company an advanced automotive
fuel cell system responsive to actual vehicle power requirements.
Plug Power will be providing the system to the U.S. Department
of Energy for further testing.
 The development of this advanced
proton exchange membrane (PEM) system is part of a $2.8 million
joint program between Plug Power and Ford. Major funding for
this program was provided by the U.S. Department of Energy.
This achievement represents
an important move toward the creation of fuel cell systems capable
of following the diverse power loads presented by a typical driving
cycle. The Plug Power system performed exceptionally, closely
replicating acceleration and deceleration conditions with sub-second
responsiveness.
Plug Power's system comprised
of auxiliaries needed to simulate operating an automobile exceeded
its design specifications for power output during its test period,
and provided maximum efficiency by adjusting its rate of fuel
flow to required output levels.
In addition, the system attained
75 percent of its power in less than one-tenth of one second
of operation, simulating the "cold start" capacity
of a combustion engine.
"Ford, Daimler-Chrysler,
GM and Toyota have, in total, committed more than $1 billion
for development programs aimed at replacing the internal combustion
engine with this clean and efficient technology," said Gary
Mittleman, Plug Power's President and CEO. "Although fuel
cells for automotive applications are a number of years away
from commercial reality, they will clearly constitute a huge
market. Our recent demonstration to Ford sing Plug Power's innovative
technologies positions us as an industry leader in developing
the automobile of the next millennium."
The U.S. Department of Energy
funded the Ford/Plug Power program through its participation
in the Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV). PNGV
is a public/private collaboration with the primary goal of developing
an environmentally friendly automobile that is also more fuel
efficient than today's midsize cars without sacrificing affordability,
performance or safety. Ford Motor Company is also a member of
PNGV.
Fuel cells have long been
heralded as a solution to the environmental and fuel conservation
challenges faced by the automotive industry. Fuel cells efficiently
generate safe, reliable electricity through an electrochemical,
rather than combustion, process. The commercialization of automotive
fuel cell power generation systems will lead to zero emission
vehicles that achieve at least double the fuel efficiency of
today's cars. Major developments by companies such as Plug Power
are bringing this technology to the forefront.
In parallel with its automotive
fuel cell program, Plug Power is developing highly innovative
PEM fuel cell systems for residential applications. Since June
of 1998, the company has operated the world's first PEM fuel
cell system to power a complete home. The residential system
meets the energy demands of a 3,000 square-foot house even during
peak energy-use hours without connection to a utility electrical
distribution system.
Based in Latham, N.Y., Plug
Power (http://www.plugpower.com)
is a joint venture between DTE Energy Company, a diversified
energy company involved in the development and management of
energy-related businesses and services and parent company of
Detroit Edison, Michigan's largest electrical utility, and Mechanical
Technology Inc., an early developer of fuel cell technologies.
Plug Power was formed to develop and manufacture fuel cells for
electric power generation in residential and automotive applications.
Formed in June 1997, Plug Power has grown from 22 to more than
150 employees, making it the largest PEM fuel cell company in
the U.S. The National Energy Resources Organization awarded Plug
Power the 1998 Research and Development Award for its fuel cell
breakthroughs. 
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