$2.5m funding from US Department of Energy

 

TIDMPYF 
 
RNS Number : 7409Q 
PolyFuel Inc. 
17 April 2009 
 

17 April 2009 
PolyFuel, Inc. 
 
 
$2.5m development funding from US Department of Energy 
 
 
PolyFuel, Inc (AIM: PYF), a world leader in fuel cell technology and engineered 
fuel cell membranes for the portable electronics industry, is pleased to 
announce that the US Department of Energy has awarded the Company with $2.5m in 
funding for its portable fuel cell development programme. The funding is part of 
President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and will be provided 
over 3 years. 
 
 
The new award follows on from a previous DOE program award in which PolyFuel 
developed a demonstration prototype of a portable fuel cell power supply for a 
notebook PC. During that previous program, PolyFuel significantly advanced the 
state of the art of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) technology by developing a 
novel membrane and membrane electrode assembly (MEA). These new materials 
enabled a simplification in the design of the overall fuel cell system, and the 
elimination of a number of system components for a substantial reduction in 
system size, weight and cost. 
 
 
The objective of the new program is to advance the technology further to meet 
the goals for performance, durability, and cost that the DOE has established for 
widescale commercial adoption of DMFC technology for use in laptops and other 
portable electronics devices. Specifically, PolyFuel proposes to further 
integrate and miniaturize the components and subsystems to increase the power 
density and energy density of the overall DMFC system. 
 
 
Further, by employing a technique referred to as design failure modes and 
effects analysis (DFMEA), along with extensive testing to failure of redesigned 
components and subsystems, PolyFuel will increase system durability to achieve 
that required for commercialization. 
 
 
Finally, PolyFuel, with the assistance of its consumer electronics 
customers/partners will conduct a design for manufacturability and assembly 
(DFMA) review of the system, subsystems, and components to ensure that they meet 
the cost targets for ultimate commercialization. 
 
 
In addition to this grant, PolyFuel is continuing to actively seek additional 
capital to complete its technology and product development, build out its 
manufacturing capability, and achieve commercial introduction of its products. 
 
 
PolyFuel president and CEO Jim Balcom said: 
 
 
"We are delighted with the DOE's continued backing of portable fuel cell 
technology. This grant is a solid validation of the strength of PolyFuel's 
capability and technology, supporting our belief that our materials and 
systems technology represents a significant advancement for the portable power 
market and is the leading technology available to the industry today." 
 
 
 
 
Ends 
For further information, please contact: 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| PolyFuel, Inc                               | Tel: [phone]     | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| Jim Balcom, Chief Executive Officer         |                          | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| Hogarth Partnership Limited                 | Tel: [phone] | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| Nick Denton / Ian Payne                     |                          | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| KBC Peel Hunt (Nominated Adviser and        | Tel: [phone] | 
| Broker)                                     |                          | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
| Jonathan Marren / David Anderson            |                          | 
+---------------------------------------------+--------------------------+ 
 
 
 
 
 
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