In the sequence of new energy vehicles, fuel cell and lithium battery and hybrid battery tied for the three major driving forces of contemporary architecture, Vancouver-based Ballard both launched the world's first fuel cell electric vehicle business, is the world largest fuel cell companies.
Recently, the company announced that its European headquarters in Germany, opening soon. This shows that with the traditional areas of its expansion of the European market's attitude, from a historical point of view, was founded in 1979 Ballard Power Systems Inc. has been committed to an integrated application of hydrogen fuel cell products, has related patents 650, battery applications market have backup power, residential cogeneration and heavy-duty applications, the company's traditional sales markets in Japan, Germany, the United States and Canada. This time in the German branch established on the basis of its European headquarters can be seen all along the "traditional."
Since 1993, Ballard fuel cells for automotive development and production has not stopped, but due to the technological development of pure power battery, lithium battery with great convenience, but hybrid is closer to practical, therefore, Hydrogen fuel cells in the automotive industry chain extension met with resistance, especially in the development of hydrogen technology as a major constraint, small hydrogen fuel cell development has lagged far behind.
Therefore, Ballard began to pay attention to shift to other storage areas, such as feng shui energy storage systems. Expand business in Germany is the result of both sides what they want.
The end of 2010, the German wind power and other renewable resources, electricity accounts for 20% of its total electricity, rapid growth in the renewable energy case, the storage demand is expanding rapidly. The German government even wants to 2050, 80% of electricity production from renewable resources. To this end, the German economy, the environment, science and technology jointly launched three amounting to 200 million euros of the giant funds to subsidize German energy storage technology research and development projects.
Not only that, this year, the German Chancellor also approved associations of powered vehicle development plan to decide on the new energy automotive industry to provide 180 million euros of funding, like in the future will expand its products to Western Europe countries, because people have a strong Western European countries purchasing power, these measures have brought the prospect of Ballard, and some even believe that the lithium battery is not clear for the new energy vehicles on the sole support class power, the hydrogen fuel cells have the opportunity to market in Germany and Western Europe last-ditch.