Exxon Mobil and partners to develop hydrogen fuel system

Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) said today it would partner with Burnaby, British Columbia's QuestAir Technologies (TSX: QAR), Plug Power (Nasdaq: PLUG) in Latham, N.Y., and Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev to develop an on-vehicle hydrogen production system for use in a fuel cell-powered lift truck.

"By developing a system that converts liquid hydrocarbons into hydrogen directly on a vehicle without the need for storage, we hope to demonstrate significant infrastructure, logistics and cost advantages compared to other hydrogen vehicle systems, all while reducing the impact on the environment," said Emil Jacobs, VP of research and development at Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering.

Under the agreements, Plug Power will seek to commercialize technologies developed by ExxonMobil, QuestAir Technologies and Ben Gurion University that take liquid fuels, such as gasoline, diesel, ethanol or biodiesel, and convert them into hydrogen onboard the vehicle where it will be used in a fuel cell power train.

"There is a long road ahead before this technology could be deployed on a mass scale in passenger vehicles, but it has the potential to be up to 80 percent more fuel efficient than today's internal combustion engine technologies and reduce CO2 emissions by up to 45 percent," said Jacobs.

"The use of this technology in a practical, commercial setting such as in a lift truck application is an important early step in demonstrating the potential benefits this technology may hold in the long-term."

Exxon Mobil said since its planned system uses conventional fuels and produces hydrogen on demand, no infrastructure or on-board storage would be necessary.

The system comprises an advanced reformer developed by ExxonMobil and hydrogen separation using QuestAir Technologies' Rapid Cycle Pressure Swing Adsorption system.

Sulfur is controlled by an Exxon Mobil S-Trap developed in conjunction with Ben Gurion University. Plug Power will be responsible for integrating the fuel system with its GenDrive fuel cell power system.

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