New order from GM

New order from GM Opcon Autorotor AB, a subsidiary of Opcon AB, has received a new order from General Motors (GM) concerning air systems for GM's fuel cell. World-wide development of fuel cell engines is intensifying. Fuel cell engines are powered by hydrogen and oxygen and the only emission is normal water. GM is in the vanguard of development and has officially announced its target of being the first to manufacture one million fuel cell vehicles. "GM is one of the biggest players in the fuel cell sector and they are making large investments," says Roland Ärlebäck, Managing Director of Opcon Autorotor AB. According to GM the company will reach its target by developing a reformer that will convert normal petrol into hydrogen while the vehicle is running. That means that cars will be able to use existing infrastructure when they fill up with fuel. Car drivers will not experience any change regarding the availability of fuel and the mistrust of hydrogen as a fuel will be countered. An air system is required for a fuel cell to generate the energy needed to drive a vehicle. The Swedish development and engineering company, Opcon Autorotor AB, is a world leader in air systems for fuel cells. The company is involved in nearly all of the projects focused on cars, buses and jeeps that the world's major auto makers are conducting. The company is also involved in other fuel cell projects for vehicles and power generation plants. GM has been a customer of Opcon Autorotor since 1997 and has bought air systems from the company continuously. "GM has returned to us with ever larger orders. The most recent order from them is urgent and must be delivered this summer," confirms Roland Ärlebäck. "GM's order confirms what we have been saying all along - that fuel cells are about to make a breakthrough as a new source of energy. Development has intensified and is now moving forward rapidly," says Sven G. Oskarsson, CEO of Opcon AB. "Our expansion strategy is to grow with the market and be a leading industrial supplier in the future." The next few years will see vehicles driven by fuel cell engines appear in inner city traffic. A major EU project involving eight cities, including Stockholm, will test fuel cell buses in city centres over a two-year period. These buses are powered by fuel cell engines developed by Xcellsis and featuring air systems by Opcon Autorotor. In March of this year Opcon Autorotor received an order worth SEK 8 million from Xcellsis. In the US development of fuel cell engines is progressing most swiftly in California. Within a few years 10% of all cars sold in the state must be zero-emission vehicles. To reach this goal the US Department of Energy, California Air Resources Board and California Energy Commission Transportation, together with major auto and fuel cell manufacturers such as GM, Ballard, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Honda, Toyota, Xcellsis and Volkswagen, have joined up with the leading oil companies in an organisation called the California Fuel Cell Partnership. This organisation is driving the development of fuel cell vehicles forward. Between 2000 and 2003 the organisation will launch around 70 fuel cell cars and buses in normal traffic. The air systems used in most of the fuel cell engines will be made by Opcon Autorotor AB. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2001/11/06/20041001BIT21950/wkr0001.pdf