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PowerCell and ZeroAvia to collaborate on next-generation fuel cell stack development

PowerCell Group has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ZeroAvia to collaborate on next-generation fuel cell technologies. The partners are to explore co-development of fuel cell technologies for aerospace applications and other segments in need of heavy-duty fuel cell systems with high energy output.

Joint R&D will focus on medium- and high-temperature fuel cells which will open up more energy intensive applications such as large fixed-wing aircraft and rotorcraft.

The two companies have been working together for the last few years, with PowerCell fuel cell stacks forming part of the prototype ZeroAvia powertrains that have powered both of the breakthrough fuel cell flight demonstrators flown by ZeroAvia.

ZeroAvia is designing a bespoke multi-stack balance-of-plant architecture using PowerCell’s low temperature proton exchange membrane (LT-PEM) stacks applicable to aviation applications. PowerCell is a key supplier for ZeroAvia’s first 600kW powertrain (ZA600) designed for up to 20-seat aircraft.

ZeroAvia’s high-temperature PEM fuel cell (HT-PEM) stacks—part of the roadmap to delivery of ZA2000 powertrain for 40-80 seat aircraft and a key part of the company’s component offering to other clean flight innovators— are already demonstrating industry record power density in excess of 2.5 kW/kg at the cell level, with a clear pathway to reaching 3+ kW/kg at the system level in the coming months.

HTPEM-2-scaled

HT PEM


Increasing the operating temperature of fuel cell systems can allow for a reduction in cooling and humidification required, simplifying the architecture and improving the amount of power for a given unit of weight.

PowerCell has several ongoing projects with the heavy-duty fuel cell stack, (Heavy Duty Stack - HDS), both for Aviation and Marine applications. The HDS is optimized for a high energy to weight ratio and is designed to be modular between 300 kW and 1 MW to support increased demand for larger installations while bringing down cost, weight and size.

HDS stack is suitable for applications in our different segments including Aviation, Marine, Power Generation, Off-road and On-road and has been proved to provide high energy density in short stack testing, >5kW/kg with full stack testing in the coming months.

The collaboration will leverage PowerCell’s long experience industrializing hydrogen-electric technologies to push advanced fuel cells solutions to high Technology Readiness Levels (TRL). For ZeroAvia, it will provide the opportunity to exploit its technology in different sectors, while retaining its core focus on aerospace.

Comments

Davemart

Meanwhile the hugely ambitious Lillium VTOL company has filed for bankruptcy:

https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-german-flying-taxi-startup-bankruptcy.html

SJC

Joint R&D will focus on medium- and high-temperature fuel cells
This will be good for developing high temperature cells we can reform liquid hydrocarbons use them in cars boats trains all kinds of Transportation

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