The project will leverage Celadyne’s Dura technology to develop and manufacture longer-lasting fuel cells for heavy-duty applications. These long-lasting fuel cells will support a broader decarbonization strategy for heavy-duty vehicles and industrial applications.
“At Celadyne, we firmly believe that when you unleash hydrogen, you can change the world,” said Gary Ong, CEO and founder of Celadyne Technologies. “We are committed to bringing our hydrogen solutions to the world’s key industries and players, and driving mass market adoption of hydrogen for the benefit of the planet. Working with some of the world’s most well-known and respected fuel cell system developers on such a large-scale project means bringing green solutions to the forefront, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Celadyne’s Dura technology makes fuel cells particularly durable, according to the company, by using advanced cells with three key properties: It keeps the membranes thin, allows a rapid flow of protons, and prevents gases and ions from moving too much. It enables special membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with thin selective transport layers (ST) next to or within the proton exchange membrane (PEM).
“Fuel cells were originally developed for light commercial vehicles,” Celadyne founder Gary Ong told Interesting technology Magazine. “To achieve milestones for high-performance applications similar to those of a diesel engine, we need to increase the lifetime of existing fuel cells fivefold.”
But why focus directly on heavy-duty transport instead of testing the technology in a smaller vehicle like a car first? “Hydrogen makes sense where size, scale and volume matter,” Ong tells Interesting Engineering. “Basically, it makes sense for industrial decarbonization and industrial logistics. It has a much higher value in these hard-to-abate sectors where direct electrification or battery electrification can be difficult,” Ong continues.
Meanwhile, the use of hydrogen in commercial vehicles is progressing. Daimler Truck’s fuel cell truck entered the next phase on the way to series production at the end of July. After long internal test drives, the company handed over the first five pre-series vehicles to customers who are testing the GenH2 truck in daily logistics operations.
prnewswire.com, interestingengineering.com
