FuelCell Energy – Figures not yet convincing

The numbers for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 (start Oct. 31, 2021): Turnover indeed rose 88% year-over-year to make 130.5 million USD in fiscal year 2022 (39.2 million USD in Q4 compared to 13.9 million USD year-over-year), however the reported loss of minus 147.2 million USD should be viewed critically. With the turnover, in my view, special factors like … Read more

Plug Power – A lot of self-commending, little development

The Analyst Day on January 25, 2023 unfortunately did not bring many new insights. The company representatives promised a shiny future and see the company as a leader in hydrogen. Some forecasts and self-imposed targets could have done with more realism, is my subjective feeling. Unfortunately, there are always setbacks that negate any associated forecasts … Read more

Plug Power – Targets adjusted to reality

Plug Power already announced weeks ago that the target turnover for this year will be five to ten percent lower than the originally projected 900 to 925 million USD for 2022. The third quarter led to a turnover of 188.6 million USD (plus of 31.1 percent from the year before), which however was about 55.6 million USD less … Read more

German-American takeover

portrait Dr. Massimo Venturi, © Eberspächer
© Eberspächer

It also works the other way round: While mostly large US corporations take over foreign companies, in this case it is a German company that has bought up ViCTORi, LLC. At the beginning of July, the Eberspächer Group announced that it had acquired 100 per cent of the North American compressor manufacturer from Boulder, Colorado. With this step, the automotive supplier from Esslingen secured access to the worldwide hydrogen and fuel cell market.

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Accurate optical sensing

Hydrogen sensors have been the focus of research for many years. Scientists working for the University of Georgia and South Carolina’s Savannah River National Laboratory have now found a way to make it extremely easy to detect even minute traces of the gas. A research article about their new optical method for hydrogen sensing was published in the Nature Communications journal in April. “Our spark-free, optical-based hydrogen sensors detect the presence of hydrogen without electronics, making the process much safer,” said Tho Nguyen, an associate professor in the university’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and, together with the laboratory’s George Larsen, the co-principal investigator on the project.

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Nikola Motors – competition is good for business

It seems like Nikola Motors [Nasdaq: NKLA] was able to stop the bleeding of the past few months. The stock is rising again. Up to 30 million shares are now traded each day, a comparatively high volume for the company. The new-found optimism among investors seems to stem from reports about Nikola’s recent progress in meeting its targets. Construction of the Arizona factory is well underway. Then there are new production facilities being built in Ulm, Germany. And another boost for the stock came when competitor Daimler Truck announced its intention to have 5,000 hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty vehicles on the road over the next few years, with business partner Shell providing the fueling infrastructure. Sounds a lot like Nikola’s business model, the difference being that Nikola will produce its own hydrogen, and be able to keep the revenue, instead of outsourcing the task to another company.

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Tesla – profitable in what way?

Giga Factory in Grünheide, © Tesla
Giga Factory in Grünheide, © Tesla

Nowadays, Tesla [Nasdaq: TSLA] is largely making headlines not for of its financials but for the tweets of its charismatic chief executive, Elon Musk. His thoughts on cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and doge coin, which, depending on the time of day, he says are a really good or a really bad deal, can dominate whole news cycles. Someone recently brought up the huge amounts of energy needed to mine them. As it turns out, the process uses non-renewable sources of energy, which could end up reflecting badly on the image of battery-electric cars as well. In response, Musk said he will rethink his position on bitcoin, which helped cause the cryptocurrency’s price to plunge from over USD 60,000 to USD 30,000. One might wonder what his behavior did to Tesla’s own USD 1.5 billion bitcoin investment.

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This is the cure, not the treatment

Strizki in front of an hydrogen refueling station
© Hydrogen House Project

“Who cares if H2 production is inefficient? Free is still free!”

Mike Strizki is more than infatuated with hydrogen. He’s dedicated to it, saying he has a lifelong commitment to the most plentiful element on Earth – that it is essential to bringing about zero emissions. And allowing his eight grandchildren to live healthier and more productive lives.

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