Originally published May 24 2005
Fuel cell technology taking first baby steps, consulting firm says
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Representatives of the financial services and consulting firm Deloitte say fuel-cell technology will begin to take off next year. Nick Griffin, a technology consulting partner at the firm, says the launch will not be on a major scale until more consumer groups get on board. The biggest obstacles are the need to recreate the infrastructure of refueling, and fuel-cell restrictions on airplanes. Griffin says the future of fuel cells rests heavily on an as-yet-unseen level of cooperation among competing manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
There will be a "significant number" of commercial launches of ethanol-based fuel cells in the next year, both as standalone products and provided built-in to devices, according to financial services and consulting firm Deloitte.
However, the company also expects the biggest obstacle to the successful adoption of fuel cells will be developing the infrastructure to enable easy refuelling.
Nick Griffin, a technology consulting partner at the firm, described that as a "massive logistical challenge", and tackling it will need "unprecedented cooperation between competing manufacturers, distributors and retailers".
Deloitte's report follows a recent announcement by IBM and Sanyo that they are working on a hybrid power system for laptops, combining batteries with a methanol fuel cell.
"There are still some significant challenges to fuel cell adoption, including restrictions on fuel cell use in airplanes," said Griffin.
"The market in 2005 will be small, probably measured in tens of millions of dollars, but is likely to grow vigorously once consumer electronics manufacturers get on board," he said.
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