A team from the University of Cordoba in Spain and the University of Tehran in Iran has been searching for ways to increase hydrogen production by using microorganisms, specifically microalgae and bacteria. Researchers Neda Fakhimi, Alexandra Dubini and David González Ballester report being able to increase hydrogen production by combining... Read more →

A team of researchers in Israel has developed a two-step electrochemical-chemical cycle for decoupled water splitting with high efficiency. The method is described in a paper in the journal Nature Energy. In a purely electrolytic scheme, the water oxidation and reduction reactions are tightly coupled in both time and space,... Read more →

At the IAA in Frankfurt this year, Germany-based ElringKlinger AG is presenting a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack with exceptional performance characteristics as well as solutions centered around electric drivetrains as well as systems and components from the field of battery technology. The low-temperature fuel cell stack NM12... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a $95-million plan for critical clean transportation investments to expedite the adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) and help the state reach its climate, air quality and other goals. The plan also focuses on closing an anticipated gap in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, and... Read more →

Starting in 2021, public transport company Hamburger Hochbahn AG will be field-testing the new Mercedes-Benz eCitaro articulated bus with a fuel cell as a range extender. Mercedes-Benz will deliver two correspondingly equipped buses during the course of 2021. As announced a year ago at its world premiere, the all-electric and... Read more →

CNH Industrial N.V., the owner of IVECO and FPT Industrial, intends to enter into a strategic and exclusive heavy-duty truck partnership with Nikola Corporation to accelerate industry transformation towards emission neutrality of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks in North America and Europe through the adoption of fuel-cell technology. Nikola’s zero-emission Heavy... Read more →

FlixBus and Freudenberg Sealing Technologies are collaborating on a future-oriented project for sustainable, CO2-free mobility. Together, Europe’s largest operator of long-distance bus travel, the FlixBus brand, and global technology specialist Freudenberg Sealing Technologies are working to put fuel cell-powered coaches on the road. The two companies will further extend their... Read more →

ITM Power announced funding from the UK Government for the Gigastack feasibility study with Ørsted and Element Energy. The project funding is for the feasibility phase leading, if successful, to the opportunity to bid for further funding for the implementation. Gigastack, funded by the BEIS Hydrogen Supply Competition, will demonstrate... Read more →

The “Forze VIII”, a hydrogen fuel cell Le-Mans-style prototype, became the first hydrogen-electric vehicle to beat gasoline-powered cars in an official race. The car, designed, built, tested and raced by a group of students from Delft University of Technology, finished second in the Supercar Challenge at the TT Circuit in... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group opened Hyundai Hydrogen World—an exhibition hall dedicated to the fuel-cell electric vehicle, related technologies and energy—at the center of the Century Square in Shanghai. The exhibit is open to the public from 26 August through 8 September. The oval-shape arena covering 406 square meters enables visitors to... Read more →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is providing $950,000 in funding for gas company BOC for a renewable hydrogen production and refueling project in Queensland. The $3.1-million pilot project will involve the installation of a 220 kW electrolyzer and a 100 kW solar array at BOC’s Bulwer Island gas facility... Read more →

Blue World Technologies has acquired 15% of Danish Power Systems, a developer and manufacturer of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for high-temperature PEM fuel cells. Blue World Technologies will use the Danish Power Systems technology in their methanol fuel cell systems. The complete Blue World system includes the fuel cell stack,... Read more →

Canadian researchers have developed a large-scale economical method to extract hydrogen from oil sands (natural bitumen) and oil fields. This can be used to power hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are already marketed in some countries, as well as to generate electricity. The process can extract hydrogen from existing oil sands reservoirs,... Read more →

In the latest effort to make aviation sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ZeroAvia announced advancements in developing a hydrogen-fueled electric powertrain. The solution aims to deliver the same performance as a conventional aircraft engine, and much lower operating costs. ZeroAvia plans to start supplying its platform to commercial operators... Read more →

A consortium led by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH is developing a solid-oxide fuel cell system as an alternative power generation on ships. This will improve the efficiency of the plants and prevent emissions even when fossil fuels are used—both in berth operations in ports and inland waterways and on the... Read more →

Rheinmetall is systematically expanding its automotive product portfolio in the direction of new driveline systems. In addition to products for electric vehicles, current development efforts include components for alternative powertrains, such as the fuel cell. Within this context, Rheinmetall Automotive is developing a recirculation fan for hydrogen not yet consumed... Read more →

The 2019 Hyundai NEXO hydrogen fuel cell electric SUV has earned a TOP SAFETY PICK+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for vehicles built after June 2019. The NEXO, which is only available in California, is the first such hydrogen fuel cell vehicle that IIHS has tested.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy has awarded Nikola Motor Company a $1.7-million grant to advance its research into fuel cell membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The joint grant was funded by the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Transportation Office under the recently announced FY19 Commercial Trucks... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation has launched its updated Sora Fuel Cell Electrified Vehicle bus (FCEV bus) with improvements to its preventive safety performance. Specifically, Toyota has improved the Sora’s preventive safety performance through the use of ITS functions (ITS: Intelligent Transport Systems). Additionally, the Sora’s transportation capacity, speed, and punctuality have... Read more →

Reintroducing airships into the world’s transportation mix could contribute to lowering the transport sector’s carbon emissions and can play a role in establishing a sustainable hydrogen based economy, according to a new IIASA-led study. The open-access paper is published in the journal Energy Conversion and Management: X. Airships were introduced... Read more →

Engineers at Lehigh University are the first to utilize a single enzyme biomineralization process to create a quantum confined CdS/reduced graphene oxide (CdS/rGO) catalyst that uses the energy of captured sunlight to split water molecules to produce hydrogen. The synthesis process—catalyzed by the single enzyme cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE)—is performed at... Read more →

Dana Incorporated will provide its Spicer Electrified e-Propulsion solution with integrated TM4 SUMO HP motor-inverter system to power Class 8 tractor-trailer units that will move freight year-round between Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The trucks are part of a three-year, $11.2-million (C$15-million) Alberta Zero-Emissions Truck Electrification Collaboration (AZETEC) project,... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. for 12 FCmove-HD fuel cell modules to power 12 buses to be deployed with SASA Bolzano, the public transport operator in Bolzano, Italy under the Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe (JIVE) funding program. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

The US Department of Energy announced $50 million for new and innovative research of technologies for trucks, off-road vehicles, and the fuels that power them. Funded through the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), these selections highlight the DOE’s priorities in gaseous fuels research, including natural gas,... Read more →

Switzerland’s first system for the commercial production of hydrogen is planned at the Gösgen hydropower plant. The 2 MW system is to be constructed by Hydrospider, which is owned in equal shares by Alpiq and H2 Energy. The system is to be constructed on the left bank of the Aare... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is awarding $43.6 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Release 2 grants to projects that demonstrate commercial feasibility for innovations during the second phase of their research. Phase II awards range from $975,000... Read more →

Researchers at Sandia and Pacific Northwest national laboratories are leading a collaborative effort to investigate how hydrogen affects materials such as plastics, rubber, steel and aluminum. The Hydrogen Materials Compatibility Consortium, or H-Mat, will focus on how hydrogen affects polymers and metals used in diverse sectors including fuel cell transportation... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Wrightbus, a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Northern Ireland, for 15 FCveloCity-HD 85-kilowatt fuel cell modules to power buses for deployment in Aberdeen, Scotland under the Joint Initiative For Hydrogen Vehicles Across Europe (“JIVE”) funding program. The Wrightbus double-decker... Read more →

Continental AG is expanding its fuel cell technology sector. In strategic cooperation with the Chemnitz University of Technology Professorship of Advanced Powertrains (ALF), the newly established Fuel Cell Laboratory for Fuel Cell Technology was dedicated on 17 July. With the installation of a large hydrogen tank in February 2019 at... Read more →

An interdisciplinary research team at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has designed size-optimized platinum nanoparticles for catalysis in fuel cells that exhibit specific and mass activities twice as high as the best commercially catalysis available today (Tanaka commercial Pt/C). A paper on their work is published in the journal... Read more →

Faurecia, one of the world’s leading automotive technology companies, is creating a global center of expertise for hydrogen storage systems at its R&D center in Bavans, France. Faurecia aims to invest in research and development in new-generation high-pressure tanks that are more efficient and lighter, as well as in a... Read more →

An international team led by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has developed an efficient sodium-doped ruthenium electrocatalyst with improved oxygen evolution activity and durability in acidic media. An open-access paper on their work is published in Nature Communications. Na doping increases the oxidation state of Ru, thereby displacing positively... Read more →

Hyundai Group joined its partner Rimac Automobili in an event hosted by Rimac CEO Mate Rimac and attended by Croatian Prime Minister, ministers, and senior government officials to discuss the potential of the new auto industry in Croatia. In May, the Hyundai Group announced an investment of €80 million in... Read more →

Bloom Energy, a developer of solid oxide fuel cell power generators, announced the ability of its Energy Servers to operate on renewable hydrogen. Current Bloom Energy Servers generate electricity using natural gas or biogas as fuel. At peak times, some US states and countries already have more renewable power than... Read more →

Cummins Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, all the issued and outstanding shares of fuel-cell systems provider Hydrogenics Corporation for US$15.00 per share in cash, other than shares already owned by The Hydrogen Company, representing an enterprise value of approximately $290 million. Following... Read more →

The Artois-Gohelle transport authority (SMT-AG) has inaugurated France’s first refueling station for hydrogen buses. The entire clean hydrogen production, storage and distribution chain is equipped with McPhy technologies. The SMT-AG has attributed to ENGIE, via its subsidiary GNVERT, the design, supply, installation and maintenance of the Houdain-Divion hydrogen gas distribution... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company signeda memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco). The MOU provides a framework to accelerate expansion of a hydrogen ecosystem in the Korean and Saudi Arabian markets, and to explore the use of advanced non-metallic materials in various fields including the automotive industry.... Read more →

Saudi Aramco and its affiliates signed 12 agreements with major South Korean companies to reinforce relationships with South Korea, expand international operations, and support the region’s energy security with the expansion of Arabian crude oil supply to Asian markets. Among these agreements is a partnership with Hyundai Motor on hydrogen.... Read more →

A recent study has suggested a new strategy for storing hydrogen, using natural gas as a stabilizer. The research proposed a practical gas phase modulator based synthesis of a hydrogen-natural gas blend (HNGB) without generating chemical waste after dissociation for the immediate service. A paper on the work is published... Read more →

Porterbrook and the University of Birmingham’s Center for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) announced that the UK’s first hydrogen train—HydroFLEX (earlier post)— will be tested on the mainline railway following a successful proof-of-concept. The mainline testing of HydroFLEX marks an important step in the development of a zero-carbon emission propulsion... Read more →

On the sidelines of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth, US Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette; Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Hiroshige Seko; and European Union Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Cañete signed a joint statement of future... Read more →

Cal State LA has won a statewide award for its zero-emission vehicle sharing program. The university’s Parking and Transportation Services and Cal State LA Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility received a best practice award for sustainable transportation in the 2019 Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Best Practice Awards competition. The contest,... Read more →

In a major new report on hydrogen, the International Energy Agency says that the time is right to tap into hydrogen’s potential to play a key role in a clean, secure and affordable energy future. The in-depth study, which analyzes hydrogen’s current state of play and offers guidance on its... Read more →

SW/TCH Maritime (SW/TCH), an impact investment platform building the first fleet of zero-emissions maritime vessels in the US, announced its investment to construct and own the ‘Water Go Round’ e-ferry in collaboration with Golden Gate Zero Emission Marine (GGZEM), a provider of turn-key hydrogen fuel cell power systems for ships.... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems unveiled its 8th generation high-performance fuel cell module, the FCmove-HD, at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit being held in Stockholm, Sweden. FCmove-HD The culmination of product development and field experience based on almost 14 million kilometers (9 million miles) of vehicle operation, Ballard’s FCmove-HD fuel cell... Read more →

Everfuel, Wrightbus, Ballard Power Systems, Hexagon Composites, Nel Hydrogen and Ryse Hydrogen—leading players in the hydrogen fuel cell electric value chain—are joining forces to form the H2Bus Consortium. The members are committed to deploying 1,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses, along with supporting infrastructure, in European cities at commercially competitive... Read more →

The Italian city of Bolzano is the first customer to order Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buses. (Earlier post.) Twelve Solaris hydrogen buses will follow the last year’s delivery of battery vehicles. The contract includes an 8 year-long service and maintenance package. The vehicles will be equipped with a 60 kW... Read more →

At the 10th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM10) meeting, a new international hydrogen partnership was announced under the leadership of the United States, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the European Commission with participation of several other CEM member countries. The International Energy Agency (IEA) would be coordinating efforts under this initiative.... Read more →

Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group’s (GCV) subsidiary brand, Yuan Cheng, launched two new zero-emission buses at a ceremony in Beijing: the F12 hydrogen fuel cell bus and C11 battery-electric bus. The F12 is Geely’s first commercial vehicle which utilizes hydrogen fuel cell technology and after a 10-minute refueling can... Read more →

Nouryon and Gasunie are studying an expansion of a planned green hydrogen unit at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The feasibility study follows a deal to convert sustainable electricity into green hydrogen for SkyNRG. The plant, which would convert renewable electricity into green hydrogen via water electrolysis, could be scaled up from... Read more →