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Honda Moves Toward Hydrogen Fuel Cells

March 17, 2005

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Plug Power Inc. and Honda Motor Co. have agreed to work together to advance the creation of a home-based system which would provide electricity to houses while providing hydrogen fuel for fuel cell vehicles.

Breaking water down into pure hydrogen to supply the fuel cells requires a large amount of energy and hydrogen is also difficult to store.

The agreement between the two companies covers the development of a system described as a "home energy station." The companies did not disclose financial terms of their relationship.

Honda and Plug Power have also reached a research and development agreement by which Plug Power will manage the research program with from Honda for the home energy station and other applications.

The companies completed the previous phase in November 2005 with the successful commissioning of the third-generation home energy station at Honda R&D Americas' facility in Torrance, Calif. The third-generation system is 30 percent smaller in size than its predecessor, with 25 percent more power output, more hydrogen storage capacity, higher efficiency and significantly faster startup time.

The companies also announced a new agreement focused on fundamental research and development work that Plug Power is conducting under funding from Honda.

Research under the second agreement aims to advance the technology for future home energy stations, as well as more generalized applications, which are expected to benefit other Plug Power products. The system is expected to be more environmentally friendly than traditional energy devices due to its higher efficiency and lower emissions.

A model of the home energy station was on display in Honda’s booth this week at the National Hydrogen Association Annual Hydrogen Conference in Long Beach, Calif.

Plug Power Inc. is based in Latham, N.Y.

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