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Print Edition StoriesTuesday, May 5, 2009
Protonex delays RV fuel cell market launch
By Mass High Tech staff
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Southborough-based fuel cell technology developer Protonex Technology Corp. has announced a plan to defer launching its M250-B recreational vehicle product, and instead focus on its M250-CX for the military market. The announcement marks a shift in the company’s strategy, which relates to upcoming stimulus funding for military development, stemming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Protonex (LSE: AIM: PTX and PTXU) officials also cited a recreational vehicle market hit by the economic downturn as another reason for stalling the new product launch. The company now plans to launch the M250-B in 2010 instead.
The fuel cell systems developer designs such technology for portable power applications, ranging from 100 watts to 1,000 watts of power, in off-grid applications.
The military-focused strategy appears to be working. Protonex announced in March that it had landed a new contract with the U.S. Department of Defense worth up to $3.3 million. The deal calls for pre-production fuel cell power system for powering small, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that will extend flight time and mission endurance.
Last fall, AeroVironment’s Puma UAV, using a Protonex fuel cell system, broke its previous flight records and flew continuously for over nine hours — three to four times the endurance capability of its current rechargeable batteries.
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