Volvo enters into fuel cell joint venture for auxiliary power

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (June 14, 2005) — The Volvo Group announced it is starting a joint-venture company for the development of power units based on fuel cell technology.

The new company, Powercell, is owned jointly by Volvo Technology (VTEC) and Statoil, a Norwegian energy company. The power unit features a newly patented technology and is so compact that they can be installed in standard trucks.

According to the Volvo announcement, if trucks were equipped with a power unit driven by fuel cells, the carbon dioxide emissions from a single truck could be reduced by an estimated 20 to 30 tons per year. As a result, trucks would not have to run at idle to have an electrical supply when they are parked.

The new company holds the patent on an improved fuel cell technology that makes it possible to produce such small and effective power units that they can be mounted in trucks and other vehicles to replace the current that is normally generated through operating the engine at idle. The fuel cell is powered by hydrogen gas that is produced from the diesel onboard.

According to the Truck Manufacturers Association, there are about 500,000 heavy trucks in North America in which the driver lives onboard. If the emissions from these trucks could be reduced by 30 tons per truck and year, this would represent a reduction of 15 million tons.