Hydrogen Cars: Albuquerque Startup Developing Material For Futuristic Fuel Cells

ALBUQUERQUE, NM — An Albuquerque-based startup is gambling on automakers developing hydrogen cars and wants to provide material for them as nations and companies scramble to bring pollution-free vehicles to drivers.

The Pajarito Powder is developing material for hydrogen fuel cells that CEO Tom Stephenson hopes will one day aid those concept hydrogen-powered cars, KOB-TV in Albuquerque reported. Fuel cell vehicles are zero-emission, running on power produced when hydrogen combines with oxygen in the air to create water.

Stephenson's company of 17 employees is creating a thin film built directly into the hydrogen fuel cells. He dubbed the material Pajarito Powder, which is inspired by Pajarito Mesa — the site of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"Every fuel cell vehicle is going to need material like what we produce," Stephenson said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Japan announced in May that it was backing a push for pollution-free vehicles that run on hydrogen. It is planning to build more hydrogen fueling stations so that fuel-cell vehicles on roads will grow to 40,000 by 2020.

Currently, only a handful of such vehicles are on the roads, partly because of the scarcity of hydrogen stations.

Tokyo-based Honda, for instance has delivered only 245 of its latest Clarity fuel-cell vehicles in Japan, and the U.S. Toyota has delivered about 3,000 of its Mirai fuel cell cars.

The need for vehicles equipped with such futuristic technology is expected to grow due to concerns about pollution and climate change.

Automakers and energy companies have been working together on fuel cells, viewing such collaboration on investing in the technology, including the infrastructure of hydrogen stations, and agreeing on standards as crucial for its success.

Photos credit: Shizuo Kambayashi, Damian Dovarganes/Associated Press