The US Department of Energy announced $98 million in funding for 40 new projects as part of OPEN 2018, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) latest open funding opportunity. OPEN solicitations are an open call to scientists and engineers for transformational technologies across the entire scope of ARPA-E’s energy mission.... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems has successfully closed a strategic collaboration transaction with Weichai Power Co., Ltd., initially announced in August. (Earlier post.) This strategic collaboration with Weichai—a leading automotive equipment manufacturer specializing in the production of powertrains, automobiles, intelligent logistics, automotive parts and components—underscores our high conviction in the opportunity for... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has handed over the first GLC F-CELL (earlier post) vehicles to selected customers in the German market. The Mercedes-Benz GLC F-CELL (combined hydrogen consumption: 0.34 kg/100 km, combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, combined electrical consumption: 13.7 kWh/100 km) features both fuel cells and a battery drive which can be... Read more →

The California Energy Commission approved an $8-million grant to Equilon Enterprises—a fully owned subsidiary of Shell Oil—to develop a high-capacity hydrogen fueling station to service and promote the expansion of zero-emission fuel cell electric Class 8 drayage trucks at the Port of Long Beach. The station is to dispense enough... Read more →

In response what it said is widespread interest from European customers, Nikola Motor Company has designed a hydrogen-electric truck for European markets. Reservations for the Nikola Tre (means “Three” in Norwegian) are now open at www.nikolamotor.com/tre. Guests at Nikola World in Phoenix in April 2019 will be able to view... Read more →

In an Australian first, Toyota Australia is partnering with a Melbourne council for a real-world trial of hydrogen-electric vehicles. From today, three Toyota Mirai Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), the first of their kind to be driven by members of the public in Australia, will be provided to Hobson’s Bay... Read more →

ABB and SINTEF Ocean are undertaking research to test the viability of fuel cells as an energy source for main ship propulsion. The new research project seeks to provide the answers required for fuel cell technology to be delivered at the scale needed to power commercial and passenger ships. The... Read more →

A team from the US Naval Research Laboratory has developed a non-proprietary method for preparing laboratory-scale proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) that have high power and high current densities despite their low platinum loadings. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) feature a commercial PtCo catalyst supported on high surface area... Read more →

A University at Buffalo-led research team has developed an efficient platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in PEM fuel cells that consists of atomically dispersed nitrogen-coordinated single Mn sites on partially graphitic carbon (Mn-N-C). In a paper in Nature Catalysis, the researchers report that the... Read more →

A team from Georgia Tech, with colleagues at the university of Kansas, has designed a high-performance solid-oxide fuel cell that operates directly on nearly dry (only ~3.5 vol% H2O) methane at 500 °C, demonstrating a peak power density of 0.37 W cm−2 while maintaining excellent durability (no evidence of coking... Read more →

Hyundai Motor has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Beijing-Tsinghua Industrial R&D Institute (BTIRDI) to establish a Hydrogen Energy Fund. Under this agreement, the South Korean automaker and its Chinese counterpart expect to strengthen their influence in the hydrogen ecosystem while accelerating the advent of a Hydrogen Society.... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems will provide fuel cell modules to power four UPS delivery trucks as part of a project being managed by the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and partially funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). CARB has announced a preliminary funding award of $5.8 million... Read more →

Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung in Germany have discovered an 5-element alloy that is noble metal-free and as active as platinum. They published their paper in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as a key reaction in electrocatalysis, attracts considerable attention due... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems will provide fuel cell modules to power two port terminal yard trucks as part of a project being managed by GTI and partially funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). (Earlier post.) CARB has preliminarily awarded $5.7 million dollars to GTI for the Zero Emissions for... Read more →

One factor holding back the widespread use of eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cells in cars, trucks and other vehicles is the cost of the platinum catalysts that make the cells work. One approach to using less precious platinum is to combine it with other cheaper metals, but those alloy catalysts tend... Read more →

Hyundai presented its new 2019 Kona Electric crossover (introduced in March at the New York Auto Show, earlier post) and 2019 NEXO fuel cell SUV (showcased at CES in January, earlier post) to US media at a driving introduction in Los Angeles. Kona Electric models will be produced in Ulsan,... Read more →

By 2022, Mercedes-Benz’ entire product range will be electrified. There will be electric alternatives in every segment from smart to SUV, with well in excess of 130 variants in total, ranging from 48-volt on-board electrical system with EQ Boost to plug-in-hybrids to all-electric vehicles with batteries or fuel cells. As... Read more →

After 12 years developing hydrogen propulsion systems for small unmanned aircraft (earlier post), HES Energy Systems is unveiled its plans for Element One, the first regional hydrogen-electric passenger aircraft. Designed as a zero-emissions aircraft, Element One merges HES’ ultra-light hydrogen fuel cell technologies with a distributed electric aircraft propulsion design.... Read more →

H2-Industries and Lloyd’s Register (LR) are working together on developing safety standards for all-electric vessels powered by emission-free Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC) technology. The project is seeking to obtain Approval in Principle for the use of LOHC technology on ships. This covers the refueling of ships with LOHC, the... Read more →

Volkswagen and Stanford University have developed in partnership a new catalyst production process to reduce the comparatively high cost of automotive fuel cell technology. One of the biggest cost drivers for fuel cells is the use of the precious metal platinum as a catalyst to operate the fuel cell. The... Read more →

Toyota announced that it will provide its hydrogen fuel cell technology to Caetanobus SA in Portugal. Toyota will supply its fuel cell systems, including fuel cell stacks, hydrogen tanks and other key components to Caetanobus SA—the Portuguese bus engineering and production company—to build hydrogen fuel cell city buses. The first... Read more →

The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development has released its ZEV Action Plan Priorities Update. The plan updates the 2016 report, directing State of California departments to coordinate and implement specific actions that advance the uptake of electric vehicles. Governor Brown’s Executive Order B-48-18, signed in January, reaffirmed... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems unveiled its next-generation high-performance liquid-cooled fuel cell stack, the FCgen-LCS, at the IAA Commercial Vehicles Trade Fair and Convention. The FCgen-LCS features important design and performance enhancements, while also offering a reduction in total-cost-of-ownership. This stack will be a core technology component of Ballard’s 8th-generation power module... Read more →

At the IAA 2018 exhibition in Hannover, FPT Industrial launched its new e-Powertrain organization. On display at the event are its electric powertrain solutions, including a new hydrogen fuel cell concept powertrain developed by FPT for IVECO. The core of the new FPT Industrial electromobility offering is the E-Powertrain Concept... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Swiss hydrogen company H2 Energy (H2E). Beginning in 2019 and over a five-year period, Hyundai Motor and H2 Energy will provide 1,000 heavy-duty fuel cell electric trucks (earlier post) and an adequate supply chain for renewable hydrogen. The... Read more →

At the 69th IAA Commercial Vehicles show, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is unveiling five new zero-emission vehicles:the I.D. BUZZ CARGO, ABT e-Transporter, ABT e-Caddy, the Cargo e-Bike and the Crafter HyMotion which is equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell drive system. I.D. BUZZ CARGO. One month ago, Volkswagen introduced the first... Read more →

Alstom held a world premiere event on Sunday celebrating its Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train (earlier post) rolling into service in Lower Saxony, Germany. From today onwards, two such trains will enter commercial service according to a fixed timetable. Travellers in the Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetriebe Elbe-Weser (EVB) network can... Read more →

UK-based Revolve Technologies has revealed the successful completion of a project to develop novel fuel cell technology using printed circuit board (PCB) construction (PCBFC). This is the first time that a PCB-based fuel cell has been developed for use in an automotive environment. Compared with conventional systems, the PCB fuel... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has preliminarily awarded $41 million to the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) for the Zero-Emission and Near Zero-Emission Freight Facilities (ZANZEFF) project. The total project cost for this initial phase is $82,568,872, with partners providing 50.2%, or $41,446,612 in match funding. CARB issued its... Read more →

MAHLE is developing a modular fuel cell systems portfolio focused on commercial vehicles, based on its current range of components. This is helping to reduce technological barriers and improve the suitability of vehicles with fuel cell drives for the mass market. The number of vehicles equipped with fuel cell drives... Read more →

Researchers at the University of British Columbia (UBC) have used a plasma pre-treatment to achieve through-plane wettability of carbon layers in a fuel cell electrode. A paper on their work is published in the journal Applied Surface Science. Porous carbon based layers have become standard electrode materials in many energy... Read more →

The California Fuel Cell Partnership (CaFCP) released its 2030 vision for California, The California Fuel Cell Revolution. The vision document describes a self-sustaining market in 2030 for fuel cell electric vehicles and renewably hydrogen, and the strategic priorities necessary for realizing it. The CaFCP document envisions 1,000 hydrogen stations enabling... Read more →

Chinese manufacturer Yutong is placing 22 hydrogen fuel cell buses into service in Zhengzhou (two now, 20 to follow) as well as the first batch of 25 units to Zhangjiakou. As the host city of the 24th Winter Olympic Games, Zhangjiakou aims to create a green winter Olympics and is... Read more →

Small, light and electrically-powered vehicles will likely be core to city and regional commuter transport in future, alongside public transport. As part of the Next Generation Car (NGC) project, researchers from the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) have developed an innovative concept for small vehicles:... Read more →

Traffic-related air pollutants can lead to a short-term loss of power and long-term reduction in lifetime for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). However, while research has been carried out on the reaction mechanisms, the impact of this for vehicles has not been studied extensively under real-world conditions. A team... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems has entered into a strategic collaboration with Weichai Power Co., Ltd. which includes: A substantial equity investment by Weichai in Ballard of approximately $163 million, representing a 19.9% interest in the company and reflecting a price based on a 15% premium to the 30-day VWAP; Establishment of... Read more →

Fuel cell drive systems can have too low an output voltage and a volatile voltage level, both of which hamper system performance. These differences can be compensated by a DC / DC converter to regulate the voltage level for feeding into the DC link. With the support of the Central... Read more →

Bosch is entering a strategic partnership with solid-oxide fuel-cell (SOFC) specialist Ceres Power. Bosch also plans to make a £9-million (US$11.5 million) strategic equity investment in Ceres for an approximate 4.4% equity stake. The two companies signed a collaboration and license agreement, for the further development of technology, and establishment... Read more →

The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) will move forward with a proposal to adopt California Low Emission Vehicle standards for new light- and medium-duty motor vehicles sold in Colorado beginning in MY 2022. (Earlier post.) The proposed rule is now set for a Public Rulemaking hearing, scheduled for November.... Read more →

PowerCell Sweden AB has signed a memorandum of understanding with the German industrial group Siemens AG to enter into a partnership in order to drive forward the integration of fuel cell modules in shipping. The aim of the collaboration is to develop an energy supply system for vessels which is... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 28 projects for awards totaling $38 million to support early-stage research and development of innovative hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. This work also supports the DOE’s H2@ Scale initiative to produce and use hydrogen across multiple energy sectors. Selections for this investment... Read more →

Canada-based Loop Energy’s heavy-duty fuel cell range extender (earlier post) will power two new zero-emission hybrid-electric Class 8 drayage trucks that will operate for a one-year period as part of a FAST TRACK Fuel Cell Truck Project in southern California. The Loop-powered, long-haul trucks will work in demanding road operations,... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has released its proposed Innovative Clean Transit (ICT) regulation (earlier post) and a Draft Environmental Analysis (Draft EA) for public comment. CARB will conduct a public hearing on 27 September in Sacramento to consider the proposed ICT Regulation. As currently written, the ICT contains... Read more →

In a successful demonstration of technology capability, researchers at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have filled Toyota Mirai and Hyundai Nexo hydrogen fuel cell vehicles using ultra-high purity hydrogen produced in Queensland using CSIRO’s novel H2-NH3 membrane separation technology. (Earlier post.) Ammonia (NH3) has high capacity for... Read more →

The European FCH JU-funded project INN-BALANCE (INNovative Cost Improvements for BALANCE of Plant Components of Automotive PEMFC Systems) partners are tasked with developing a new generation of highly-efficient fuel cell Balance of Plant (BoP) components. These components are intended to support an innovative fuel cell system and hence greatly improve... Read more →

The UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) has awarded £35 million (US$45.5 million) to three UK-based low carbon automotive powertrain projects. The technologies developed will support aspirations for the UK to be a world leader in zero emissions technology as part of the Industrial Strategy and recently-published Road to Zero strategy.... Read more →

A new analysis of the cost of current (2017) direct hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by a team from the Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory and Strategic Analysis found the lowest estimated system cost to date for high annual production rates. The highest volume predictions, for 100,000 and 500,000 units... Read more →

Ceres Power, a UK-based spin-out from Imperial College and the developer of the SteelCell low-cost Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology (earlier post), has entered into a new partnership with Nissan further to develop fuel cell technology for EV applications. Ceres Power and The Welding Institute (TWI) have been awarded... Read more →

California Governor Jerry Brown has directed the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to assess possible regulatory requirements to ensure greater inclusion of zero emission vehicles in public and private light- and heavy-duty vehicle fleets. In a 1 August 2018 letter to CARB Chair Mary Nichols, Governor Brown wrote: As the... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board has released the 2018 issue of its Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment and Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development, pursuant to the requirements of AB 8 (2013). This report is the fifth annual publication. The report describes “a significant shift in momentum” in... Read more →