Front Page  AED

Wednesday, February 11, 2004

MesoFuel Cell Will Fuel Train

By Charlotte Balcomb Lane
Journal Staff Writer
    Albuquerque-based MesoFuel Inc. has been tapped to help design and manufacture a hydrogen generation system for a fuel-cell powered locomotive.
    Upon successful completion of the project, possibly as early as 2005, the locomotive would be the largest fuel-cell powered vehicle ever built.
    "It's a great story for New Mexico. We're part of an international team," said Ned Godshall, the CEO of MesoFuel, a technology firm founded about three years ago.
    The prime contractor on the project is Vehicle Projects LLC of Denver. President Arnold Miller said it chose MesoFuel because of the Albuquerque company's compact, ammonia-based hydrogen generation system.
    MesoFuel has developed a trademarked system that uses ammonia to create hydrogen. Fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, which create electricity to run a vehicle, such as an automobile.
    "MesoFuel is the leader in power-dense hydrogen generation from ammonia, and the ability to process this attractive fuel was a key consideration for us," Miller said in a news release.
    Other companies chosen as subcontractors in the project are AeroVironment Inc. of Monrovia, Calif.; HERA Hydrogen Storage Systems Inc. of Longueil, Quebec, Canada; and Nuvera Fuel Cells Inc. of Milan, Italy.
    The project is being funded by the U.S. Army Research in Warren, Mich. The fuel cell technology will be used to retrofit an Army diesel-electric locomotive. The locomotive will weigh 109 metric tons and have 1.2 megawatts of pulling power.
    Eventually, the technology could also be used to power commercial trains and subway systems.
    Godshall said Vehicle Projects approached MesoFuel about seven months ago. He declined to reveal the exact value of the multimillion-dollar main contract but said that, over the life of the contract, it could be worth more than $1 million to MesoFuel.
    MesoFuel has 14 employees in Albuquerque, but Godshall said it will add technical staff for this project.
    Conceptual designs are due by the end of May, according to a review of the fuel-cell locomotive project issued by a nonprofit organization, Fuelcell Propulsion Institute.