UK hydrogen fuel cell innovator Bramble Energy has signed an MoU with the EDAG Group, an independent engineering services provider, to collaborate on the development of digital integration of its patented printed circuit board fuel cell (PCBFC) into EDAG’s electric vehicle storage platform.
The digital investigation will involve the design of a customized fuel cell stack and the overall system layout to fit the EV platform – including batteries, hydrogen storage and FC stack with major BoP components – with clear vehicle simulation data providing evidence for its feasibility.
The project, named FC-Storm, aims to create and showcase a design study of the 3D integration of Bramble’s cutting-edge hydrogen fuel cell system into EDAG’s storage platform designed for passenger vehicles and light commercial vehicles.
The biggest challenge is the limited space available within the skateboard platform, so Bramble’s PCBFC has been selected because it can be manufactured to almost any size or arrangement, delivering a high-power, flexible solution to meet the stringent requirements. Bramble’s solution will be digitally incorporated into EDAG’s customizable energy platform and will be adaptable to hydrogen and battery energy storage quantities.
This study aims to highlight the broad range of advantages that a combined fuel cell and skateboard solution offers, with its flexibility, sustainability and cost-efficiency demonstrating the performance values of a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).
The requirement for the project will be to output more than 40kW, including batteries and hydrogen storage at 700 bar, which can be scaled depending on the customer-selected geometry variables of the skateboard such as height and width. By adapting a high-voltage fuel cell that can be cooled without the need for deionized water to a typical vehicle voltage level of 400V or 800V, a highly integrated electric power supply is enabled for mobility that surpasses current technical standards.
Dr Tom Mason, Bramble Energy co-founder and CEO, said, “Through our collaboration with EDAG Group, we will embark on an in-depth feasibility study that will present the performance advantages of hydrogen fuel cells as a viable sustainable mobility solution, with resulting scalable top-level system architectures and vehicle simulation data helping to provide clear evidence. The results of this project will act as a platform for future projects, showcasing the significant benefits of integrating our fuel cell solution into an EV skateboard, which surpass existing solutions.”
Dr-Ing. Andreas Viehmann, head of innovation area drive and storage technologies at EDAG Group, added, “We are hugely excited to be partnering with Bramble Energy on our FC-Storm project, as we look to demonstrate and outline the clear and abundant potentials of integrating a hydrogen fuel cell into innovative EV platforms for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.”
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