WestStart, Industry Partners Awarded Fuel Cell Contract; Award to Design Solid Oxide Fuel Cell as an APU in Heavy-Duty Vehicle Applications

    PASADENA, Calif.--April 19, 2001--WestStart, AeroVironment, and Delphi Automotive Systems have been awarded a contract to design and integrate a solid oxide fuel cell for use as an auxiliary power unit (APU) in heavy-duty vehicle applications.
    The $3.4 million program, which comes under the Department of Defense's (DoD) "Dual Use in Science and Technology" (DUST) program, is managed by the U.S. Army's National Automotive Center.
    As an APU, a fuel cell can provide electricity to a truck without the engine idling. In a commercial trucking operation, trucks often idle between 8 and 16 hours a day. Truckers are forced to use their engines to generate the electrical load for the cabin while sleeping, resting, or waiting at a factory gate. A fuel cell APU would definitely reduce emissions and preserve the engine while potentially reducing fuel and maintenance costs.
    Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are of particular interest to the Army and the trucking industry because they can be more easily adapted to operate on reformed diesel or gasoline. Other fuel cell types are less tolerant of sulfur and would require a new refueling system to be installed. The Army seeks to have one fuel supply all vehicle needs in the battlefield. Currently, the Army uses diesel vehicles in the battlefield.
    "Fuel cells can play an important role in helping to reduce emissions from the trucking industry. It's more likely that we'll see fuel cells as APUs before they provide motive power for the trucking industry," said WestStart President John Boesel.
    "The Army's need for on-board electrical power is increasing at a rapid rate. Using fuel cells as APUs, particularly solid oxide fuel cells, can help us meet the increasing demand for electrical power while keeping our fuel logistics supply chain simple," said Dennis Wend, director of the National Automotive Center.
    Delphi will be working with a supplier to provide the SOFC for this program. Delphi is presently working on another program to provide fuel cell generated electricity for light-duty cars with BMW.
    Under the contract, the WestStart team will develop a design for a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) auxiliary power unit (APU) for heavy-duty commercial vehicle applications using diesel fuel and bench test selected components for the SOFC system. The APU will include a SOFC stack, diesel reformer, electronics, and other auxiliary components.
    The development will be conducted in two phases: design/component testing, which will involve creating an APU design for integration into a heavy-duty vehicle and testing the SOFC stack and reformer. The second phase, prototype build/integration will involve building a system from these designs and integrating it into a vehicle. Funding has not yet been secured for the second phase.
    Development and demonstrations of this technology are being funded under the DoD's DUST program, which promotes the concept of the dual use of technologies. Under this concept, the DoD funds the commercial arena to move forward with technologies that can be used by the military. The program also adds support to the Army's 21st Century Truck Initiative
    WestStart and its California operating division, CALSTART, is an advanced transportation technologies consortium that focuses on developing new, clean transportation technologies and solutions. Working with its 150 member organizations worldwide, WestStart develops and demonstrates new technologies. WestStart provides information and industry analysis to its member companies while also working with fleets and airports to determine how to best utilize clean fuel vehicles. For more information about WestStart, visit www.weststart.org.
    The NAC, (www.tacom.army.mil/tardec/nac/) an element of TACOM, is the Defense Department's lead, and the Army's focal point to leverage and develop dual-needs automotive technologies in partnership with industry, academia and other government agencies. It integrates commercial and military research in development and technology insertion efforts to improve the automotive performance of military ground vehicles. It accelerates the exchange and implementation of automotive technologies by fostering relationships and forming cost-shared partnerships.