VANCOUVER and SOUTHBOROUGH, MA, Dec.
22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP;
TSX: BLDP) today announced that the company has developed a next
generation high performance fuel cell propulsion system to power
unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones. Ballard has also
received a follow-on contract from Insitu, a Boeing subsidiary, for
extended durability testing of the next-generation 1.3 kilowatt
(kW) fuel cell propulsion system to power test flights of its
ScanEagle UAV platform.
Ballard and Insitu have partnered over the past two years to
integrate Ballard's prior generation fuel cell propulsion system –
a complete hydrogen power system for small unmanned fixed wing and
Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) platforms – into the ScanEagle
platform. Successful flight testing was announced in mid-2017.
The next generation fuel cell propulsion system announced today
delivers a number of important advances: increased power density,
resulting from a new membrane electrode assembly (MEA) design;
reduced cost, resulting from a combination of new MEA and one-step
fuel cell stack sealing process; and extended lifetime. The
increase in rated power, without any appreciable increase in size
or weight, is a particularly significant development for UAV
applications.
Phil Robinson, Vice President of
Unmanned Systems at Protonex, a Ballard subsidiary, said, "The
Ballard and Insitu teams have collaborated closely over the past
several years to integrate our proven fuel cell technology into the
industry-leading ScanEagle platform. This new fuel cell has the
potential to deliver a range of benefits compared to the use of an
internal combustion engine, or ICE, to power the ScanEagle. These
benefits are likely to include an increase in reliability and
available electrical power along with a simultaneous reduction in
audible noise, thereby enabling lower altitude missions."
Fuel cell propulsion systems offer a number of advantages over
ICE-powered drones (refer to accompanying chart). In
addition, fuel cells offer a 3x increase in mission time compared
to battery-powered drones.
|
|
|
UAV
ATTRIBUTES
|
FUEL
CELL
|
ICE^
|
Low Mean Time
Between
Failures (MTBF)
|
+
|
-
|
Payload
flexibility
|
+
|
-
|
Altitude
flexibility
|
+
|
-
|
Load following
flexibility
|
+
|
-
|
Low noise
|
+
|
-
|
Low
vibration
|
+
|
-
|
Low thermal
signature
|
+
|
-
|
Low environmental
emissions
|
+
|
-
|
Endurance
|
+
|
+
|
Fuel
efficiency
|
+
|
-
|
^ ICE – internal
combustion engine
|
Andrew Duggan, Vice President and
General Manager of Insitu Commercial added, "Insitu is pleased to
continue our partnership with Ballard as we add capabilities,
further increasing reliability and decreasing operating cost of the
ScanEagle platform. We look forward to further performance tests
and customer demonstrations in the coming year."
Insitu's ScanEagle is a versatile platform with multiple payload
capabilities, including high-definition imaging, at a fraction of
the cost of larger UAV systems. Insitu's platforms have logged more
than one million flight hours in military and civilian
applications, making ScanEagle the most proven UAV in its class.
The ScanEagle is operated in conjunction with Insitu's Mark4
Launcher® – a low-maintenance, runway-independent platform – along
with its SkyHook® recovery system.
ScanEagle is 1.55 meters (5.1 feet) in length, has a wingspan of
3.11 meters (10.2 feet) and maximum takeoff weight of 22 kilograms
(48.5 lbs). The UAV can fly at a maximum speed of 41.2 meters per
second (80 knots), reach a ceiling of 5,944 meters (19,500 feet).
Additional details and images are available at
http://www.insitu.com/information-delivery/unmanned-systems/scaneagle.
In addition to military use, the commercial market for drones is
expected to growth significantly over the next few years, from 0.25
million working drones in 2017 to more than 2.5 million working
drones by 2021.[1] Applications are anticipated in such areas as
agriculture, construction, environmental management, urban &
rural surveying, mining, emergency response and law
enforcement.
For additional information regarding Ballard's work in the UAV
area please visit http://www.ballard.com/markets/uav.
About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems
(NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) provides clean energy products that
reduce customer costs and risks, and helps customers solve
difficult technical and business challenges in power and energy. To
learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements concerning
anticipated product performance, customer benefits and market
demand for our products. These forward-looking statements reflect
Ballard's current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such
forward-looking statements are based on Ballard's assumptions
relating to its financial forecasts and expectations regarding its
product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market
demand.
These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause
Ballard's actual results to be materially different, including
general economic and regulatory changes, detrimental reliance on
third parties, successfully achieving our business plans and
achieving and sustaining profitability. For a detailed discussion
of these and other risk factors that could affect Ballard's future
performance, please refer to Ballard's most recent Annual
Information Form. Readers should not place undue reliance on
Ballard's forward-looking statements and Ballard assumes no
obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward
looking statements, other than as required under applicable
legislation.
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy securities. The Ballard
Common Shares have not been registered under the United States
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the securities laws of any
other jurisdiction and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an
applicable exemption from registration requirements.
1 Source: "The Drone Economy" by Chris Anderson, Harvard Business Review,
May 2017
SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.