Ballard to Offer World's First PEM Fuel Cell Product Using Non Precious Metal Catalyst

The amount of platinum catalyst-coated material used in fuel cells, known as platinum loading, has been successfully reduced over time. Nisshinbo's Non Precious Metal Catalyst is based on a carbon alloy material which further reduces the cost of an air-cooled fuel cell stack.

Ballard and Nisshinbo jointly presented a paper entitled "Non-Precious Metal Catalysts: Cathode Catalyst Layer Design Considerations for High Performance and Stability" at the SSI-21 Conference held in Padua, Italy in June 2017. The presentation was shortlisted to receive the ISE Best Oral Presentation Award for its work showing the highest ever reported performance for a NPMC-based PEM fuel cell and the comparison to performance of a PEM fuel cell using a platinum catalyst.

Nisshinbo is an "Environmental and Energy Company" Group providing low-carbon, optimized products across a range of business lines, including chemicals, precision instruments, electronics, automotive brakes and textiles. Nisshinbo has been a long-time leading global supplier of carbon plates used in the construction of PEM fuel cells for various market applications. Nisshinbo has been a strategic supplier of compression molded bipolar flow field carbon plates to Ballard for over 20 years. In November 2015, Nisshinbo also became a strategic equity investor in Ballard.

About Ballard Power Systems
Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP; TSX: BLDP) provides clean energy products that reduce customer costs and risks, and helps customers solve difficult technical and business challenges in their fuel cell programs. To learn more about Ballard, please visit www.ballard.com.

This release contains forward-looking statements concerning anticipated development results and impacts on our products. These forward-looking statements reflect Ballard's current expectations as contemplated under section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Any such forward-looking statements are based on Ballard's assumptions relating to its financial forecasts and expectations regarding its product development efforts, manufacturing capacity, and market demand.

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SOURCE Ballard Power Systems Inc.