On 12 September 2017 press release, Ballard announced that it, with Nisshinbo, had integrated a non precious metal catalyst (NPMC) into a NPMC-based proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell product: the 30 watt FCgen-1040 fuel cell stack, which was made available for commercial sale in late-2017.

Subsequently, Ballard announced a program to assess the potential for development of NPMC-based fuel cell stacks for use in commercial material handling applications. With successful completion of that assessment, the newly announced stage will focus on certain performance and power density enhancements to support development of low cost NPMC-based fuel cell stacks for material handling applications.

Our goal for this multi-year Technology Solutions program is to expand the serviceable addressable market for fuel cell-powered forklifts and accelerate market adoption through the commercialization of leading air-cooled and liquid-cooled fuel cell stacks that deliver against market requirements at the lowest possible cost

NPMC-based stacks represent a step-change in PEM fuel cell technology by dramatically reducing the amount of platinum that is needed. And, since platinum currently contributes 10-to-15% of the cost of a fuel cell stack, NPMC technology offers the potential for meaningful cost savings.

—Dr. Kevin Colbow, Ballard’s Vice President – Technology and Product Development