Powering the Future

Advance Praise for Powering the Future "One day in the future--and sooner than you may think!--fuel--cell power will be commonplace and people will wonder how it all came to be. Koppela s book describes the important role Ballard Power Systems is playing in this revolutionary technology.

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Powering the Future tells the intriguing story of a tiny high--tech research company that developed one of the few truly revolutionary and transforming technologies of our era. Today, Ballard Power Systems is the world leader in fuel cell technology -- a non--polluting energy source that could one day replace the internal combustion engine and power the cars of the future. Geoffrey Ballard and a handful of colleagues -- at the outset little more than "three guys and a prayer" -- brought this neglected technology to the world. On gritty determination and a shoestring budget, they took fuel cells out of the lab and into the mainstream of business. They made the fuel cell smaller, cheaper, and vastly more powerful over an astonishingly short time -- actually melting down cables as they realized a fifty--fold increase in power output. Powering the Future not only chronicles the companya s impressive rise against stiff odds and intense competition; it also teaches valuable lessons about vision and inspiration, creating a culture of loyalty and dedication, attracting and keeping talented people, and marketing and selling an underdog technology to the biggest players in the auto world.
Powering the Future is the entertaining and inspirational account of how a tiny high--tech research company grew, and became poised to literally change the way we live.