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DaimlerChrysler showed a new direct methanol fuel cell prototype vehicle in Germany on Wednesday. The fuel cell powered a small one-person concept. The automaker says the unit from Ballard Power Systems (Vancouver, BC, Canada) uses a proton exchange membrane technology that allows the use of methanol as fuel, without requiring a fuel processor to extract hydrogen from the methanol.

"We are now beginning to refine direct methanol technology for use outside the laboratory in applications ranging from portable and stationary power to transportation," says Ballard Chief Technology Officer Alfred Steck. The three-kW system is the result of an ongoing collaboration between the research groups at DaimlerChrysler and Ballard, he says.

Edited by Norman Martin
Managing Editor, AutoCentral.com