Intelligent Energy and Suzuki Motor Corporation establish joint venture company to develop and manufacture fuel cell systems
07 February 2012
Intelligent Energy and the Suzuki Motor Corporation have created a joint venture company called SMILE FC System Corporation to develop and manufacture air-cooled fuel cell systems for a range of industry sectors. The joint venture also includes a non-exclusive license agreement that gives Suzuki access to Intelligent Energy’s fuel cell technology for its next generation of fuel cell vehicles.
Under the terms of the contract, both companies will take a 50% stake in the joint venture. SMILE FC System Corporation will be led by Osamu Honda, Executive Vice President and representative director for Suzuki Motor Corporation, who will become President of the JV. SMILE FC System Corporation will be headquartered in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka, with operations initially based in Yokohama.
Suzuki Motor Corporation has been developing fuel cell vehicles with Intelligent Energy since 2006, and this successful relationship has led to the formation of SMILE FC System Corporation. I believe that we can accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles through this joint venture with Intelligent Energy.
—Osamu Honda
The agreement enables Suzuki cost-effective access to Intelligent Energy’s advanced fuel cell technology through partnering and licensing, thereby avoiding the higher costs associated with in-house development. Intelligent Energy will benefit from Suzuki’s production expertise and the emerging Japanese supply chain to jointly develop the next generation of automotive standard air-cooled fuel cell systems.
This joint venture is the latest exciting development in the successful relationship between Intelligent Energy and Suzuki, which has previously resulted in the Crosscage motorcycle and the Suzuki Burgman Fuel Cell Scooter. It is a big step towards the mass production of automotive fuel cell systems.
—Phil Caldwell, newly appointed Board Member of SMILE FC System Corporation and Business Development Director at Intelligent Energy
Equipped with Intelligent Energy’s air-cooled fuel cells, the Crosscage and Burgman motorcycles were exhibited at the 2007 and 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, and in 2011, the Fuel Cell Burgman Scooter became the world’s first fuel cell vehicle to achieve European Union Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA). (Earlier post.)
Small FCs developed for scooters and bikes could be used as lower cost, clean, quiet running range extenders for small PHEVs to further reduce the use of fossil liquid fuels and crude oil imports.
Larger PHEVs could use two small stacks?
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 February 2012 at 08:29 AM
Quote from the article ''It is a big step towards the mass production of automotive fuel cell systems.''
Im interrested to buy. It will erase pollution, cut fuel expences and provide a more refined and more powerful driving experience. Also the car longevity will be higher and the car will cost less. The car will be safer too because it will incorporate better breaking with increased regenerative electrical breaking power in a lower weight vehicle, also the conventionnal breaks will last longer.
Petrol imports will be less and gas price will decrease and as so pollution air water and soils.
Posted by: A D | 07 February 2012 at 08:30 AM
How are you going to fuel them, with a big, heavy, high pressure tank? Where are you going to fill the tank, a garage reformer/electrolyzer/compressor would cost a small fortune.
Posted by: SJC | 07 February 2012 at 09:11 AM
For all the recent FC ink, no one says that costs have finally fallen from ridiculous, or at least 6 figures for 100kw.
Posted by: kelly | 07 February 2012 at 12:02 PM
$1 per watt is a round number, but Daimler says they will have a fuel cell that costs the same as an engine by 2015, we will see.
Posted by: SJC | 07 February 2012 at 01:07 PM
Auto firms have been saying "will have" about fuel cell government handouts for many decades and we're in the second decade of the Bush hydrogen initiative and "mission accomplished" and clean coal and on and on..
Posted by: kelly | 07 February 2012 at 04:04 PM
Kelly as always you fail to understand the point.
When they said they could 40 years ago they ment if the oil supply is cut off we can produce WORKABLE cars and trucks running on fuel cells in just a few years.
They could have done so if needed. The cars would have sucked but they would have run and quickly afterward they would have gone through many more designs and would have had good solid cars well before the 80s.
Would have cost a bloody fortune to have to do that tho.
When later they said they could do it they ment if NEEDED again because of oil supply issues they could build a workable family car... not a good one not a cheap one but one that worked. Again if needed it wouldnt have been cheap to do it but in short order they would have improved on the design.
Now its different. Because its not if oil supply is cut off its not if blah blah blah. 2015 is the time they planned to be able to bring out a great car running on h2 even if nothing bad has happened to NEED it comming out.
This is just the time fuel cells come out simply because they are ready to come out even if nothing has gone wrong.
Posted by: wintermane2000 | 07 February 2012 at 05:24 PM
CAFE has to do with averages, so if you can have hybrids, EVs, FCs and anything else to help the average, you can sell gas guzzling trucks and SUVs. Same old game, just a different set of rules this time around.
Posted by: SJC | 07 February 2012 at 06:19 PM
Is anyone else having trouble posting?
Posted by: Davemart | 08 February 2012 at 04:47 AM
Well, it seems to be working again now.
Posted by: Davemart | 08 February 2012 at 04:48 AM
them to “explain” variables that have no material relationship to US ethanol production: the US price of natural gas and unemployment rates in the US and the European Union. Relationship Tips by Ramada Killerig
Posted by: Edward Son | 07 December 2012 at 03:42 AM