Army Shows Advances in Fuel Cells and 3-D Vehicle Engineering During Auto Industry's Management Briefing Seminars, August 4 - 9 in Traverse City

WARREN, Mich., July 29 -- The U.S. Army TACOM's National Automotive Center (NAC) will demonstrate working fuel cells during a special exhibit August 4 - 9 at Traverse City's popular Dennos Museum Center. The exhibit includes fuel cell power generators from Millennium Cell, Inc., and from Delphi, two of the numerous firms now collaborating with the NAC to make practical fuel cells available within the next several years.

The Army wants fuel cells to power its trucks and remote generators. Automakers, public safety services, highway freight carriers and others, such as campers, who want in-vehicle or portable electric power sources that are essentially silent and emission-free, are among those interested in fuel cells as an alternative power source. Michigan Gov. John Engler says that by 2010 fuel cells will have become a $95 billion industry.

The NAC's exhibit for auto industry executives at the Management Briefing Seminars beginning August 5, features a collaborative tool developed by PTC (Needham, MA), which allows highly accurate visualization of new vehicle design. In a 3-D movie, conference participants will experience how it feels to work in a three-dimensional, virtual environment, which is expected to save millions of dollars in development costs for the Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS).

As an added attraction, the Riverside Dixieland Band from the 283rd Army Band of Fort Benning, GA, will perform for the public during the week and during downtown Traverse City's popular "Friday Night Live" open-air festival.

The National Automotive Center is the Army's link to commercial industry, academia and government for developing dual-use automotive technologies both for our nation's defense requirements and to benefit our free enterprise economy. (Dual-use examples include night vision, electronic collision avoidance, GPS navigation, etc.) The NAC's web site address is http://www.tacom.army.mil/tardec/nac.