News

Delphi and US DOE Break SOFC Cost Barrier

February 09, 2003 by Jeff Shepard

Delphi Corp. (Troy, MI) reported it is ahead of schedule on meeting the US Department of Energy's (DOE, Washington, DC) cost and performance criteria for solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) auxiliary power unit technology. In 2001, the DOE entered into a 10-year, $138-million, cost-sharing program with Delphi and its partner Battelle to develop and test a SOFC auxiliary power unit that can be mass produced at low cost for commercial and military applications. Delphi and the US government are sharing the cost of the program.

"One of the key reasons why we've made great inroads in developing this technology is because we have a strong, collaborative partnership with the US government," said Delphi Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President J.T. Battenberg III. "With the help of the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance program, the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, we've greatly accelerated the development of a SOFC auxiliary power unit that's both powerful and affordable."

Delphi's technology is designed to generate auxiliary electric power for passenger, commercial and military applications, as well as serving as a stationary power unit. The unit is designed to generate 5kW, which would be enough to provide baseline power for many applications.