News

ECD Awarded First-Phase Funding from TACOM

October 22, 2003 by Jeff Shepard

Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (ECD, Rochester Hills, MI), a leader in hydrogen-based energy solutions, announced that the company has been awarded the first phase of funding from the US Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) to partner with the Army's National Automotive Center (NAC). The $500,000 total contract will be applied towards the development by Texaco Ovonic Hydrogen Systems (TOHS) of a transportable, solid hydrogen, storage and refueling system for hydrogen fuel-cell-powered, off-road military vehicles. ECD Ovonics will perform the work under its service agreement with TOHS.

Within the scope of the project, the Ovonic™ transportable, hydrogen storage system will store at least 10kg of hydrogen in a safe, compact, low-pressure, solid form. The storage systems will be used to refill the Army's off-road fuel cell vehicles' onboard storage vessels at least twice per day with 1.7kg of hydrogen in under 10 minutes. The initial installation of the system will be at the TARDEC facilities in Warren, MI, and will be demonstrated at industry and military trade events thereafter.

"By partnering with solid-state, hydrogen storage, technology leaders like ECD Ovonics and Texaco Ovonic Hydrogen Systems who have developed hydrogen storage solutions, we're able to address challenges faced by the military, such as the safe, transportable refueling of off-road fuel cell vehicles," said NAC Executive Director Dennis Wend.