WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy has announced the selection of 13 firms and educational institutions to receive $75 million in cost-shared awards to fund new research in advanced fuel cell technology for vehicles, buildings, and other applications.

Combined with recent awards to an additional 11 firms and universities for $21 million in hydrogen storage, production, and sensor technology research, the DOE has awarded a total of $96 million in new awards in support of the Bush administration’s hydrogen fuel initiatives.

The fuel cell research will primarily focus on overcoming technical barriers to commercialization, including durability, high costs, heat utilization, and catalyst development.

Companies involved in the fuel cell technology research include Atofina Chemicals Inc., Ballard Power Systems Corp., E. I. DuPont de Nemours & Co., Engelhard Corporation, Honeywell International Inc., IdaTech LLC, Ion Power Inc., Plug Power Inc., Texaco Energy Systems, 3M Company, and UTC Fuel Cells LLC. The institutions include Battelle Memorial Institute and University of South Carolina Research Foundation.

Publication date: 07/28/2003