Ballard Power Systems (Vancouver, British Columbia) announced that it has signed an agreement valued at approximately US$22 Million with General Hydrogen Corp. (Cincinnati) to supply 2,900 Mark 9 fuel cells. These fuel cells are for integration into General Hydrogen's products that are being sold to customers converting from conventional lead-acid batteries in their material handling fleets. Under the agreement, Ballard expects to ship fuel cells ranging in size from 4 to 20 kilowatts, with roughly one-quarter of these units to ship in 2007, and the balance to ship in 2008.
This year, through September 30, Ballard has shipped 100 Mark 9 fuel cells. This agreement reflects the growing confidence of Ballard and General Hydrogen in the potential for fuel cell products in the material handling equipment market. With this agreement, Ballard has exceeded its publicly stated corporate goal of shipping or booking 300 Mark 9 units in 2006.
"General Hydrogen is a key leader in commercializing fuel cells in the material handling equipment market," said Noordin Nanji, Ballard's chief customer officer. "The Mark 9 product has been performing exceptionally well in fuel cell-powered forklifts."
Fuel cells offer a compelling value proposition to electric lift truck operators, delivering a number of important advantages over a conventional lead-acid batteries.
Source: Ballard Power Systems
