Ballard signs $3M fuel cell development agreement with Chinese rail company
by Cleantech Canada Staff
Fuel cell maker to build specialized product for Chinese trams
VANCOUVER—Ballard Power Systems has signed a $3 million agreement to develop a new fuel cell module for China’s Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. The Vancouver-based firm said the contract is the next step toward a commercial product and follows an initial framework agreement set out by the two companies in June.
“The growing need for mass transit solutions in China, together with acknowledgement of the severe air quality issues, certainly makes fuel cell-powered trams an intriguing market opportunity,” Ballard’s president and CEO, Randy MacEwen, said. “Ballard is well positioned to address this opportunity, given our ongoing work with TRC.”
Under the agreement, Ballard will develop a next-generation fuel cell power module designed specifically for use in the TRC’s Modern Ground Rail Transit Equipment. The product is expected to deliver at least 200 kilowatts of power and have a lifespan of at least 20,000 operating hours.
Ballard is aiming to have an initial prototype designed by 2016.
