Launch of triple-hybrid fuel

RNS Number : 9939R

Proton Power Systems PLC

11 May 2009

 



Press Release

11 May 2009

Proton Power Systems plc

('Proton Power' or 'the Group')

Launch of the world's first triple-hybrid fuel cell passenger bus 

Collaboration between Proton Motor and Skoda Electric

Proton Power Systems plc (AIM:PPS), a leading designer, developer and producer of fuel cells and fuel cell electric hybrid systems, is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH ('the Company'), has provided a preview of the world's first passenger bus using the Company's triple-hybrid fuel cell system to public transport operators and experts. The presentation took place in Puchheim, near Munich on 8 May, with the official unveiling and handover to take place this summer in Prague.

The new vehicle is the product of a cooperation agreement between Skoda Electric, UJV Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc and Proton Motor.  As a world-renowned manufacturer of trolley buses and electric-powered rail vehicles, Skoda Electric was responsible for the vehicle, including its electric drive system and system integration. The project was coordinated by UJV, a leading research institution in the Czech Republic. Proton Motor supplied the world's first triple hybrid fuel cell propulsion system. 

Unlike conventional hybrid propulsion systems, this environmentally friendly and highly efficient technology has no combustion engine, and is instead a combination of fuel cells, batteries and ultra-capacitors. It harnesses the advantages of electrical propulsion to the full, storing brake energy and thus enabling energy savings of over 50 per cent compared to conventional diesel buses.  It is also completely emissions-free. At the heart of the system is the 50-kW PM Basic A 50 fuel cell system from Proton Motor, which since last year has also been used in the world's first fuel-cell-powered passenger ferry, the FCS Alsterwasser. 

The basic vehicle is a 12-metre standard bus with a total permissible weight of 18 tonnes, of the type that has been deployed hundreds of thousands of times in urban transport networks worldwide. The propulsion system's nominal output is 120 kW (163 HP). Its maximum speed is 65 km/h, while its maximum range during urban transport is more than 250 km per tank. The bus is filled with 20 kg of gaseous hydrogen at 350 bar, and the filling process takes less than 10 minutes.  The vehicle will go into operation in and around Prague from mid-2009 onwards.

Commenting on this milestone, Thomas Melczer, CEO of Proton Power, said: 'We are extremely proud to be able to once again prove our technological leadership in the field of fuel cells and hybrid systems with this city bus that runs on our triple hybrid system.  Our technology provides maximised efficiency based on an optimised technical design and energy management.  This will strongly support our approach to turn our company into an industrialised volume manufacturer for fuel cell products and applications.  We are also leaders in the implementation of tailor-made solutions in all kinds of applications, especially for public and private fleet operators.'

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For further information:

Proton Power Systems plc
John Wall, Chairman	Tel: [phone]
Ali Naini, Deputy Chairman	Tel: [phone]
Thomas Melczer, CEO	Tel: [phone]
	www.protonpowersystems.com

Arbuthnot Securities Limited
Tom Griffiths / Antonio Bossi	Tel: [phone]
	www.arbuthnotsecurities.co.uk

Media enquiries:

Abchurch Communications Limited
Justin Heath / Stephanie Cuthbert / Monique Tsang	Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]	www.abchurch-group.com

  About Proton Power Systems plc

Proton Power Systems plc is a developer and manufacturer of fuel cells and fuel cell hybrid systems for motive and stationary power supply. Its sales-driven strategy focuses on identifying applications with the greatest market needs and supplying large volumes of cost-competitive systems to fulfil those needs. Proton Power is gaining access to a broad range of markets through partnerships with leading OEMs such as Skoda Electric.

Proton Power's motive applications include forklifts, city buses, municipal utility vehicles, commercial vehicles and ferries.  Stationary applications focus on the Uninterruptible Power Supply ('UPS') sector, where there is a large demand for mission-critical, grid-independent secure power supply in places such as telecommunications stations, data centres, hospitals, and power substations.  

Through its wholly owned subsidiary, Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH ('Proton Motor'), the Group has developed and deployed fuel cell modules that can be integrated with energy storage media to create hybrid fuel cell systems. Proprietary, intelligent energy management software balances the power output across the system to maximise efficiency and improve power delivery. The system therefore boasts lower fuel consumption and more consistent levels of power delivery than conventional diesel/combustion engine or fuel cell-only systems, while producing zero harmful emissions. 

Proton Power Systems plc was admitted to trading on AIM on 31 October 2006 and is incorporated in the UK. Proton Motor has more than 15 years of experience in the fuel cell market and is located in Puchheim, near Munich, Germany. 

www.protonpowersystems.com

 

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