A Singapore-based company that proposes to begin marketing its products to the public before 2008 is out, Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, has announced that one of the boats that raced in the Baltic Sprint Cup in July carried its hydrogen cells, the Hydropak, as an emergency backup for onboard electrical systems.
The company says:
Horizon’s HydroPak allows boaters to charge starter batteries, electronics, and other critical vessel equipment in times of emergencies. To activate the system, users only need to pour seawater into a specially designed cartridge. Once filled, the cartridge can hold the energy equivalent of several lead acid batteries.
In addition to its use as an emergency power source, Horizon’s fuel cells have also been used in conjunction with an electric motor to act as a hybrid engine. A Vancouver sailor, Jim Harrington, bclocalnews.com, used Horizon’s technology to replace a gas engine with an electric motor that runs on hydrogen and powers the auxiliary engines for the sailboat.
The HydroPak is in pre-production now. UL and CE certification have been initiated, the company says, and first shipments are expected to start late this year at a suggested retail price of $400/unit, and $20-30 for each 270Wh cartridge refill.
The advantages of the system as described by Horizon:
•Provides infinite shelf life and can generate enough power to recharge an average notebook computer
•Can run indoors with quiet operation and zero harmful emissions
•Is quieter, lighter and smaller than generators
•Stores more energy than possible with batteries
•Has a lower cost than any similar fuel cell device
Learn more at horizonfuelcell.com
Posted August 11 by KL
