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31 July 2015

German Armed Forces Buy Additional SFC Energy EMILY Fuel Cell Systems

SFC Energy, a leading provider of hybrid power solutions to the stationary and mobile power generation markets, has received an order by the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) for fuel cells to power devices on military vehicles and for soldiers in the field, for approx. €1.3 million. The order represents repeat business for SFC following the successful deployment of the EMILY fuel cell by the  Bundeswehr in December 2011, when EMILY was also assigned a NATO stock number.

EMILY was specifically developed to meet the demanding requirements in defence applications, and fully complies with military standards. The automatic, silent, environmentally friendly generator provides reliable power to electric and electronic devices on board of defense vehicles, in the field and as a battery charger, anywhere, anytime. (All photos: SFC Energy)

This is a major order for our company, as this repeat business is proof that our EMILY product can perform superbly on a large scale and under a variety of conditions," Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Energy explained. "The process to deliver the product required a thorough and lengthy testing process, and ultimately we are very proud of the trust placed in us by the Bundeswehr. With our products we want to contribute to more safety, flexibility and mobility of soldiers in the field. We regard EMILY’s growing success as an acknowledgement of our long and good cooperation with the Bundeswehr. While we were hopeful to have delivered the products in the first half of 2015, we are pleased to move forward in our third quarter and are on track with our goals and objectives for 2015.”

The fuel used, which is methanol, features a high energy density of approx. 1,400Wh/kg, which is, according to the company, 50 times higher than that of a lead battery (only approx. 30Wh/kg). Methanol, which is approved by the  Bundeswehr and also carries a NATO stock number, is safe and available at Bundeswehr depots.

When installed in military vehicles, the EMILY is connected to the vehicle battery, providing automatic power with virtually no emissions, and with very low noise signature. The technology has made the mounting and dismounting of heavy, loud Diesel generators obsolete. At a weight of only 12kg/27lbs, fuel cells can also conveniently be used to provide power to mobile command posts or as a field charger. Deployed off the vehicle, EMILY will power almost any electric device (up to 100W average load) via the SFC Power Manager. 

In addition to EMILY, SFC Energy offers a successful portfolio of portable, mobile, stationary, and vehicle based fuel cells for defence applications, among them the SFC Energy Network and the portable JENNY fuel cell. SFC fuel cells are currently in field use in several big NATO defence organisations around the world. 

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