PEM Hydrogen Fuel Cells

Ballard Power Systems

Ballard Power Systems, headquartered in Burnaby, British Columbia, is the global leader in PEM (proton exchange membrane) hydrogen fuel cell technology for heavy-duty mobility applications including buses, trains, and marine vessels. Founded in 1979, Ballard has been instrumental in advancing fuel-cell durability, power density, and cost reduction over four decades of research. The company actively collaborates with academic electrochemistry groups on MEA (membrane-electrode assembly) design, platinum catalyst utilisation, and ionomer membrane degradation mechanisms. Ballard funds research chairs at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, and is a member of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) in Europe, which channels substantial academic collaboration funding. Its products are deployed in demonstration fleets worldwide, providing real-world validation datasets for academic fuel-cell system researchers.