masonfree party
09-07-2008, 09:48 PM
THIS IS FOR REAL....GOODBYE OIL...HELLO HYDROGEN
Hydrogen Offers New Hope (Itm Power)
RNS Number : 6550Y
ITM Power PLC
09 July 2008
For Immediate Release 9 July 2008
ITM Power plc
("ITM" or "the Company")
Media Launch of Home Refueller and Bi-Fuel Car
Following the announcement on 30 June 2008, ITM Power (AIM: ITM), is pleased to announce
that it will be launching its home refuelling
system and bi-fuel car today in London.
The following press release accompanies today's launch:
Hydrogen breakthrough offers new hope in fuel crisis
A British company has unveiled a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen-powered car
which could revolutionise commuting while
cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
The conventional petrol-engined Ford Focus, which has completed successful urban commuting
trials, has been converted to run on
hydrogen, which burns without emitting CO2, and could ultimately reduce drivers' dependence on
fossil fuels.
The company involved, ITM Power Plc, has also revealed a hydrogen home refuelling station,
capable of producing the gas from water and
electricity, which it says could ultimately offer drivers an alternative to conventional fuels
and provide a new power source for homes and
businesses. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to a hydrogen
economy - the lack of hydrogen refuelling
infrastructure and utility supply network.
It has taken scientists and chemists at the company's Sheffield research base, currently
Europe's largest electrolyser and fuel cell
development centre, eight years to create a low-cost means of manufacturing hydrogen. Its
patented electrolyser-based refuelling station
uses a unique low-cost polymer which dispenses with the need for expensive platinum and can be
manufactured at 1 per cent of the cost of
traditional membrane materials.
The result is a hydrogen production system, small enough to be used in a home or business,
which can generate the gas from a supply of
water and off-peak or renewable electricity - power created by wind, wave, solar or nuclear
energy. The stored hydrogen could then be used
to fuel converted cars or provide power for domestic or commercial purposes.
The Ford Focus was chosen by ITM Power because it is one of Europe's top-selling models.
In its converted form, it is effectively a
bi-fuel vehicle, capable of being switched back to petrol if the hydrogen supply is exhausted.
The demonstration vehicle can travel 25 miles
on a single recharge of hydrogen from the refuelling station, allowing it to complete most
average commuter journeys without the need for
the back-up petrol supply. If the hydrogen is compressed the range can be extended to 100
miles.
Although the initial demonstration vehicle is a car, vans and trucks will also be able to
be to use the new fuel system to give
commercial vehicle operators huge potential cost savings on delivery journeys, as well as
further reducing CO2 emissions.
ITM Power says further research and current engine and fuel-saving developments could well
double the car's range and the shape of the
standard pressurised hydrogen tank fitted to the demonstration vehicle could be engineered to
maximise space.
The home refuelling station, test production of which is already underway at ITM Power's
Sheffield Factory, underlines the potential for
the generation of hydrogen both at home and in the workplace. The company has already
established a showcase 'hydrogen apartment' at its
Sheffield facility where hydrogen gas is used for heating, cooking and to operate a fridge,
while a hydrogen internal combustion generator
converts the gas back into electricity to provide power for general lighting and to operate a
television, computer and DVD player.
Jim Heathcote, CEO of ITM Power, said: "This double announcement marks the end of a
demanding research and feasibility programme and the
beginning of an exciting new collaboration phase with manufacturers and developers to bring
the potential of hydrogen to commercial reality.
Given the pressing need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, especially oil, and to cut
CO2 emissions, the future for hydrogen as an
alternative means of storing and utilising energy cost-effectively has never been brighter."
-ends-
Notes to Editors: High-resolution JPEG images of ITM Power's Home refuelling Station and
the hydrogen-powered Ford Focus are available
on request. Images of Jim Heathcote and an illustration of a 'hydrogen home' are also
available.
For further information please contact Eric Lafone or Doug Wallace on 01789 490530 or
e-mail
Hydrogen Offers New Hope (Itm Power)
RNS Number : 6550Y
ITM Power PLC
09 July 2008
For Immediate Release 9 July 2008
ITM Power plc
("ITM" or "the Company")
Media Launch of Home Refueller and Bi-Fuel Car
Following the announcement on 30 June 2008, ITM Power (AIM: ITM), is pleased to announce
that it will be launching its home refuelling
system and bi-fuel car today in London.
The following press release accompanies today's launch:
Hydrogen breakthrough offers new hope in fuel crisis
A British company has unveiled a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen-powered car
which could revolutionise commuting while
cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.
The conventional petrol-engined Ford Focus, which has completed successful urban commuting
trials, has been converted to run on
hydrogen, which burns without emitting CO2, and could ultimately reduce drivers' dependence on
fossil fuels.
The company involved, ITM Power Plc, has also revealed a hydrogen home refuelling station,
capable of producing the gas from water and
electricity, which it says could ultimately offer drivers an alternative to conventional fuels
and provide a new power source for homes and
businesses. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to a hydrogen
economy - the lack of hydrogen refuelling
infrastructure and utility supply network.
It has taken scientists and chemists at the company's Sheffield research base, currently
Europe's largest electrolyser and fuel cell
development centre, eight years to create a low-cost means of manufacturing hydrogen. Its
patented electrolyser-based refuelling station
uses a unique low-cost polymer which dispenses with the need for expensive platinum and can be
manufactured at 1 per cent of the cost of
traditional membrane materials.
The result is a hydrogen production system, small enough to be used in a home or business,
which can generate the gas from a supply of
water and off-peak or renewable electricity - power created by wind, wave, solar or nuclear
energy. The stored hydrogen could then be used
to fuel converted cars or provide power for domestic or commercial purposes.
The Ford Focus was chosen by ITM Power because it is one of Europe's top-selling models.
In its converted form, it is effectively a
bi-fuel vehicle, capable of being switched back to petrol if the hydrogen supply is exhausted.
The demonstration vehicle can travel 25 miles
on a single recharge of hydrogen from the refuelling station, allowing it to complete most
average commuter journeys without the need for
the back-up petrol supply. If the hydrogen is compressed the range can be extended to 100
miles.
Although the initial demonstration vehicle is a car, vans and trucks will also be able to
be to use the new fuel system to give
commercial vehicle operators huge potential cost savings on delivery journeys, as well as
further reducing CO2 emissions.
ITM Power says further research and current engine and fuel-saving developments could well
double the car's range and the shape of the
standard pressurised hydrogen tank fitted to the demonstration vehicle could be engineered to
maximise space.
The home refuelling station, test production of which is already underway at ITM Power's
Sheffield Factory, underlines the potential for
the generation of hydrogen both at home and in the workplace. The company has already
established a showcase 'hydrogen apartment' at its
Sheffield facility where hydrogen gas is used for heating, cooking and to operate a fridge,
while a hydrogen internal combustion generator
converts the gas back into electricity to provide power for general lighting and to operate a
television, computer and DVD player.
Jim Heathcote, CEO of ITM Power, said: "This double announcement marks the end of a
demanding research and feasibility programme and the
beginning of an exciting new collaboration phase with manufacturers and developers to bring
the potential of hydrogen to commercial reality.
Given the pressing need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, especially oil, and to cut
CO2 emissions, the future for hydrogen as an
alternative means of storing and utilising energy cost-effectively has never been brighter."
-ends-
Notes to Editors: High-resolution JPEG images of ITM Power's Home refuelling Station and
the hydrogen-powered Ford Focus are available
on request. Images of Jim Heathcote and an illustration of a 'hydrogen home' are also
available.
For further information please contact Eric Lafone or Doug Wallace on 01789 490530 or