Milestone for technology market leader Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH:
Official commissioning of the new fuel cell production facility
● Bavarian Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger inaugurated stack robot assembly plant ●
Puchheim, October 1st, 2019 – “From Fuel Cell Manufacture to Series Production”: The Bavarian technology market leader – developer and manufacturer of zero-emission fuel cells and fuel cell electric hybrid systems – Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH (www.proton-motor.de) from Puchheim near Munich announced the official commissioning of its new fuel cell stack machine.. In the course of a formal ceremony last Friday, Mister Hubert Aiwanger, the Deputy Bavarian Prime Minister and Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, applied the official push of a button to start the hydrogen fuel cell stack production plant and emphasized: “Hydrogen plays a key role as future technology in coping with the shift in energy and mobility. Therefore we founded the Center Hydrogen.Bavaria (H2.B) in Nuremberg. In order to offer fuel cells more competitively, we need mass production. Proton Motor shows that this is already possible.” Proton Motor CEO Mister Dr. Faiz Nahab stated: “We are both proud and happy to set this signal for our heightened, forward-looking technology standard with the only stack robot in Bavaria. At the same time, we would like to thank the Free State of Bavaria for its recognition and the associated interest of Minister Aiwanger in our climate-neutral power drive and energy solutions for the mobile and stationary sectors.“
In Proton Motor´s innovative fuel cell system the fuel cell stack is embedded in a module as a core or significant centrepiece. The stacking robot can increase production capacity up to 5,000 till 10,000 fuel cell units per year. This milestone in the company’s more than 20-year history is a response to the increased demand from industry for hydrogen fuel cells, which is clearly reflected in the current cooperation agreements and strategic partnerships. The manufacturing robot was realised as part of the project “Fit-4-AMandA” (Fit for Automatic Manufacturing and Assembly) and financed by the European agency “FCH-JU” (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking). Proton Motor was one of five participants which participated in the development and rigorous testing program to perfect the robot’s performance and capacity. In order to meet the increasing demand in the coming years, Proton, the fuel cell specialist has worked with the manufacturer to draw up plans for the optional expansion of production. When configured with a slightly changed machine layout, production can be expanded to 30,-50,000 stack units per year. Proton Motor chairman Mister Helmut Gierse said during his opening speech: “We are very pleased with this important milestone for our company as it makes a significant contribution to our manufacturing capability and enables Proton Motor to cope with larger volume orders before the end of 2020.” The “Gen4” (fourth generation) stack module for the modular and standardised hydrogen fuel cell will be able to meet the expected demand, which, according to management, can be described as making a significant contribution to world-saving global climate protection. Proton Motor´s contribution for industrial solutions is to be made available for mobile (buses, trucks, etc.), stationary (power generation, standby and continuous current), for maritime (yachts, ships) as well as for rail applications.
About Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (https://fch.europe.eu)As both a public and private institution, “FCH-JU” (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) supports relevant research, technology development and demonstration activities (FTD) in the field of fuel cell and hydrogen energy technologies in Europe. The aim is to accelerate the market introduction of these technologies and to exploit their potential as a tool for achieving a low-carbon energy system. The three members of FCH-JU are the European Commission, the fuel cell and hydrogen industries, represented by Hydrogen Europe, and the Hydrogen Europe Research Community.
About Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH (www.proton-motor.de)
With more than 20 years of experience, internationally active Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH is Germany’s expert for energy solutions with cleantech technologies and a specialist in fuel cells in this field. Located in Puchheim near Munich, Proton Motor offers complete fuel cell and fuel cell hybrid systems from its own production – from development to production to the realisation of customer-specific solutions. Proton Motor focuses on stationary applications such as back-up power and energy storage solutions, as well as mobile solutions such as back-to-base applications. The solutions can also be applied in the maritime and rail sectors. The product portfolio includes basic fuel cell systems, standard complete systems and customised systems.
Proton Motor is active in the stationary sector for customers in the IT, telecommunications, public infrastructure and healthcare sectors in Germany, Europe and the Middle East with power supply solutions for DC and AC demand. In addition to power supply, the SPower product range also offers solutions for solar systems as well as a new product line for the storage of solar energy.
Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, with currently 75 employees under the management of Dr. Faiz Nahab, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Proton Power Systems PLC (www.protonpowersystems.com) with headquarters in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The company has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since October 2006 (code: PPS).
Board of Directors Proton Power Systems PLC:
Dr. Faiz Nahab, CEO
Helmut Gierse, Chairman
Sebastian Goldner, CTO/COO
Roman Kotlarzewski, CFO
Manfred Limbrunner, Director Sales & Marketing
Contact Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH:
Vanessa Zaloga, Marketing
Benzstraße 7, D-82178 Puchheim
v.zaloga@proton-motor.de
+49 / 89 / 127 62 65-31
Ariane Günther, Media Communications
Dasselstraße 69, D-50674 Cologne
ariane.guenther@ag-komm.de
+49 / 221 / 926 19-888
