Avista Labs (Spokane, WA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Avista Corp. (Spokane, WA), and Automated Railroad Maintenance Systems Inc. (ARMS, St. Louis, MO) announced a joint agreement to distribute Avista Labs' Independence fuel cell product line featuring its Modular Cartridge Technology proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells to the railroad industry for backup and remote power applications beginning in 2002.
According to the agreement, ARMS will sell a mix of Avista Labs' new commercial products, the Independence 100, Independence 500 and Independence 1000 fuel cell systems. The Avista Labs products are hydrogen-fueled PEM fuel cell systems ranging from 100W to several kilowatts. The companies have established distribution performance targets for 2002 and 2003 with the expectation that volumes will increase dramatically through 2006.
"The modular, hot-swappable approach offered by Avista Labs' fuel cells is an ideal fit for remote railroad applications that require superior reliability," said Walter Winzen, ARMS president and CEO.
