UltraCell announces govt grant, new fuel cell
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
DAYTON — The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded local fuel cell producer UltraCell Corp. a grant to develop a system that checks for gas leaks.
Once development and testing of the system is complete, its technology will be implemented in UltraCell's Old Springfield Road manufacturing site near the Dayton International Airport, the company said Monday, Dec. 8.
Livermore, Calif.-based UltraCell will begin building entire fuel cells, rather than just fuel cell sub-assemblies, in Dayton in 2009, said Keith Scott, UltraCell chief executive.
"It is a positive step for them (the Department of Energy) to have done this with us," Scott said. "And one of the reasons is, we're one of the few fuel cell producers that is actually in manufacturing."
UltraCell is unique in that it doesn't just design fuel cells, Scott said. The company makes them at its Dayton site, which is UltraCell's only manufacturing site.
The company has about 20 Dayton employees and about 50 total.
UltraCell will work with partners Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Cincinnati Test Systems to design a system able to inspect 50 fuel cells an hour.
The grant will include up to $2.4 million in government spending and $2.3 million from UltraCell and its partners.
Powered by hydrogen, fuel cells can run computer laptops and communication equipment while weighing less than conventional batteries. The cells' only waste product is water, but the idea is long-lasting portability, particularly for surveillance and emergency communication.
"The success of fuel cells in general requires that people be able to manufacture them with high yields," Scott said. Being able to make more fuel cells faster will help make them more economical, he said.
Also announced is the company's XX55 fuel cell, which will also be made in Dayton, Scott said. He expects the Dayton employees number will go up by about 15 by the end of 2009.
UltraCell's emerging customers include homeland defense agencies and the military, Frank Beafore, UltraCell's manufacturing vice president, has said.
In the spring of 2008, Ohio Third Frontier Commission awarded UltraCell and its partners — including the University of Dayton Research Institute, Mound Technologies and robotics specialist Invotec — a $1 million grant.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2390 or tgnau@DaytonDailyNews.com.
