FuelCellsWorks

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry on Friday urged four ministries, itself included, to introduce more effective measures to promote the use of fuel-cell vehicles.

The ministry and the Economy, Trade and Industry, Construction and Transport, and Environment ministries, were told their policies have done nothing to encourage the spread of fuel-cell powered vehicles, as indicated by the fact there were only 42 such vehicles in use nationwide at the end of fiscal 2007, compared with 49 at the end of fiscal 2003, despite a total of about 19.7 billion yen set aside in budgetary appropriations for the development of this sector between fiscal 2004 and 2007.

Fuel-cell vehicles are powered by the electricity produced from the chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. They emit no carbon dioxide.

The government has set a goal of seeing 50,000 fuel-cell vehicles on the roads by the end of fiscal 2010. The four ministries have spent their budgets so far on vehicle research and development, testing a facility for refuelling with hydrogen, and government procurements.

BlueBird has already demonstrated its Boomerang UAV, which also uses fuel cells and achieved a 5 hour endurance on its first flight. Boomerang used the company’s 1G fuel cell. “We are planning to use an improved fuel cell system on [Thunderbird], now in the final design stages and hope to achieve an endurance of more than 10h,” says BlueBird chief executive Ronen Nadir. He explains that the new fuel cell system will generate over 500W/kg and its future products will use 3kg (6.6lb) fuel cells. Today’s small UAVs use lithium-polymer batteries that Nadir says generate only 200W. BlueBird also manufactures the Micro-B UAV, a 1kg tactical vehicle that will use a new 120g (4.23oz) optical payload, have an endurance of 1h and can be assembled in the field by two soldiers in 5min. As a set, a ground station and three Micro-Bs will cost about $100,000.

The Israeli company has designed the SkyLite-B UAV that is distributed by Rafael. While BlueBird manufactures the UAV itself, Rafael is providing the ground station and is expected to buy up to 30 percent of BlueBird’s shares. Athlone Global Security, a Virginia-based U.S. company, has recently become a partner in BlueBird.