Jülich to Showcase Direct Methanol Fuel Cell-Powered Forklift at the Hannover Messe

16 April 2007

Forschungszentrum Jülich will unveil a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) powered-forklift at the upcoming Hannover Messe.

With this prototype, we are now only a small step away from the commercialization of our fuel cell technology.

—Prof. Detlef Stolten, Director at the Jülich Institute of Energy Research

DMFCs are a variant of proton exchange membrane fuel cells that feed methanol directly to the fuel cell without first reforming to hydrogen. Liquid methanol is much easier to store than hydrogen. However, the efficiency of DMFC can be low, due to several reasons, including permeation of methanol through the membrane (methanol crossover). DMFCs currently are considered more suited for lower-powered consumer applications than for transportation.