Bukh Bremen presents SFC’s EFOY fuel cell for leisure boating at boot 2009 exhibition, Dusseldorf, Germany

  • Reliable, silent, and fully automatic power supply
  • Ideal for sailboats and yachts up to 20m - always full batteries even far away from the harbour
  • Wind and weather independent power

Brunnthal/Munich, Germany, January 19, 2008 - On the occasion of boot 2009 exhibition at Dusseldorf, Germany, Bukh Bremen, technology and equipment specialist for professional and sports boating, presents the successful EFOY fuel cell for easy integration in sailboats. The EFOY fuel cell is produced by SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG, leading supplier of fuel cell products for mobile and off-grid power applications. Finally, there is an environmentally friendly, lightweight, and silent power solution for boats and yachts that ensures 24/7 on board power availability in any season and weather.

The EFOY fuel cell by SFC is directly connected to the board battery. It can be installed basically at any convenient place on board with exception of the engine compartment, as temperatures above 40° C will impair the fuel cell’s performance. In operation the fuel cell continuously monitors the battery’s charge state. Once this drops below a predefined level due to power consumption of lights, navigation, fridge or radio, the EFOY will automatically start operation and recharge the battery. When the battery is full, the fuel cell will just as automatically return into stand-by. The boat owner doesn’t have to do a thing and can still fully enjoy the comforts of the boat without limitations. 230 V devices can be operated by using an inverter.

The EFOY fuel cell produces off-grid power reliably without requiring maintenance or user intervention. Fuel is available at over 600 sales points in convenient 5 and 10 l cartridges. An M10 cartridge with 10 l fuel contains 11.1 kilo watt hours of power. That is enough power to independently operate the boat’s electrical consumers for up to 14 days. In form of these convenient cartridges boat owners can store a lot of energy at very low weight on their boat. The advantage: as long as there are full cartridges, the boat is fully independent of any external power supply.

The EFOY fuel cell works extremely silently - a decisive advantage over generators which produce a lot of noise and exhausts and disturb nature. The EFOY fuel cell will also operate in hybrid mode with a solar cell. In this combination it only switches on when the solar cell does not produce enough power. In fair weather the boat owner thus uses solar power, in bad weather or in winter the EFOY fuel cell reliably ensures full batteries. By-products of power generation in the EFOY fuel cell are just water steam and carbon dioxide in amounts equivalent to the breath of a child.

'We are excited that we can now offer boat and yacht owners a 100% reliable power solution for their boat with the EFOY fuel cell', says Detlef Lange, Managing Director of Bukh Bremen GmbH. 'Reliable off-grip power on board is a major concern - wind and water powered generators are not reliable and efficient enough, solar panels are often in the way and may generate too little power even in sunlight when the sail’s shadow is on them. And generators are just too loud and too heavy and big for smaller yachts. The EFOY does not generate smell or noise; it is small and lightweight, fully automatic and always available. Just what sailboat owners need.'

'We are very proud that Bukh Bremen, a leading boat equipment specialist, has integrated our EFOY fuel cell into their product portfolio', says Dr. Peter Podesser, CEO of SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG. 'Now owners of sailboats and yachts can enjoy the same full power convenience and comfort of the EFOY fuel cells as thousands of motor home owners all across Europe. We are thrilled that Bukh Bremen offers our EFOY fuel cells.'

The EFOY fuel cell is available in four different models: EFOY 600, EFOY 900, EFOY 1200, and EFOY 1600 - with a charging capacity of 600 to 1,600 watt hours each per day depending on the boat’s individual power requirements.

Visitors of boot 2009, Dusseldorf, can experience the EFOY fuel cell live in operation at the Bukh Bremen booth G59 in hall 10.

About SFC AG

SFC Smart Fuel Cell (www.sfc.com) is market leader in fuel cell technologies for mobile and off-grid power applications serving the leisure, industrial and defense markets.As one of Germany’s technology pioneers, SFC has won numerous innovation awards.SFC has alliances with leading companies in a wide range of industries.Unlike most other fuel cell manufacturers, who are in the research and development phase or run subsidized demonstration projects, SFC has shipped more than 10,000 fully commercial products to industrial and private end users for four years, and has created a convenient fuel cartridge supply infrastructure. SFC is DIN ISO 9001:2000 certified.

SFC Press Contact:
Ulrike Schramm
Public Relations Manager
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG
Eugen-Saenger-Ring 4
D-85649 Brunnthal
Tel. +49 89 673 592-379
Fax. +49 89 673 592-369
Email: ulrike.schramm@sfc.com

SFC Investor Relations:
Barbara v. Frankenberg
Investor Relations Manager
SFC Smart Fuel Cell AG
Eugen-Sänger-Ring 4
D-85649 Brunnthal
Tel. +49 89 673 592 378
Fax. +49 89 673 592 369
Email: barbara.frankenberg@sfc.com