International Business Briefs: bioenergy, hybrid cars and fuel cells

In this week’s International Business Briefs, a Canadian biofuel company has increased capacity by 50% in its pilot plants, two major vehicle manufacturers have agreed to tie up on hybrid technologies, a company launches fuel cell bus engines, and a fuel cell company had decided to tighten its belt and cut expenditure in an attempt to sustain its business.


Canadian bioenergy company DynaMotive has announced that it has improved the capacity of its pilot plants by 50%. The increase in rated capacity results from process improvements, and underscores the scalability of DynaMotive’s technology. The increase is expected to have significant impact on the company’s commercial deployment plans.

Car manufacturers Toyota and Nissan have concluded a basic agreement on the long-term, continuous transaction of hybrid systems including technical cooperation. This agreement was made possible by both companies having found common ground in terms of philosophy and outlook in their discussion on the future popularisation of hybrid vehicles, the companies say.

Canadian company Ballard Power Systems has announced the receipt of an order for delivery of three heavy-duty fuel cell engines and support services. The 205KW fuel cell engines will be integrated into transit buses for delivery in 2004 to the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority based in San Jose, California. The buses will operate for a two-year period under real-world conditions.

And finally, fuel cell company Palcan has announced that due to the difficult market conditions, management has elected to reduce monthly expenditures in order to sustain its business while continually moving forward with its discussions with potential new investors and joint venture partners. Palcan remains committed to its overall business strategy and target markets, but will slow expenditures to allow more time to complete fundraising activities.

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