Astris Energi Inc. (Mississauga, ON), a developer of alkaline fuel cell technology, announced that it will debute its Freedom II, second-generation AFC-powered golf car at the Vancouver Investment Conference January 23-24, 2005. The new, faster Freedom II is powered by Astris' recently completed 1.8 kW, Model E7 AFC Generator, with more than double the power of the original model.
The silent running, emission-free E7 Generator contains two 900 W Astris' POWERSTACK™ MC250 alkaline fuel cell stacks, which provide the unit with 1.8 kW nominal power, with the capability to deliver a 20% overload factor that provides more than sufficient power for peak loads such as acceleration and hill climbing. The Freedom II Model E7 can be used not only in golf cars, but also in a wide variety of mobile applications such as neighbourhood electric vehicles, boats and forklifts.
The Freedom II has a curb weight of 345 kg (760 lbs), approximately 20% lighter than an equivalent electric battery model. It runs smoothly and silently, like an electric golf car, and can be refueled in under a minute, just like a gasoline model. Freedom II's E7 Generator is fueled by a 33 L, carbon fibre cylinder of compressed hydrogen. Under typical usage, Freedom II can operate for over three days between refills.
