Fuel-Cell APUs Limited, Research Firm Says

Despite representing 20% of all fuel-cell systems shipped in 2010, fuel cells used as auxiliary power units remain limited commercially, according to market research and consulting firm Pike Research.

In 2010, global fuel-cell APU shipments totaled only a little more than 3,100, nearly all of them made in Europe. But there’s a developing market for the use of fuel cells as APUs across a range of markets, according to Pike Research, with offices in Washington.

This market, in terms of numbers, will not be large, reaching just over 5,000 units by 2020, Pike said, but the sector should grow strongly over the next several years.

The firm noted that annual revenue from fuel-cell APUs will reach $66 million by 2020, with a total investment of more than $400 million between 2009 and 2020.

The four main market sectors for fuel-cell APUs are marine, trucking, aviation and recreational vehicles, Pike said. Each sector has potential to use fuel-cell technology initially in an APU function, but future technology also could be used to assist the primary propulsion unit, Pike said.