New fuel cell technology has just hit the public eye, and most are impressed with what they see.
Ballard Power Systems has just announced a new, high-performance, zero-emission fuel cell stack, and Audi has purchased the technology to be used in its upcoming electric vehicles (EVs). The FCgen-HPS is expected to increase power output and effective operating at extreme temperatures, among other benefits.
For those that don’t know $BLDP and AUDI have been working together since 2013. To include this patent purchase by AUDI. Ballard did not get royalties but was able to use the tech outside of passenger and commercial vehicles so today’s news is a big deal https://t.co/qvzyhbiJh9
— Alex S. (@HydrogenAlex) September 15, 2020
Ballard CEO, Randy MacEwen said, “While governments across the planet are increasingly declaring green hydrogen to play a major role in the path towards net zero carbon, there is also a growing recognition that zero-emission fuel cell systems are well suited to decarbonize a range of motive applications that have historically been difficult to abate. This is true for buses, commercial trucks, trains, and marine vessels where there is a requirement for heavy payload, extended range and rapid refueling.”
MacEwen went on to explain, “These use cases typically feature return-to-base depot refueling, which reduces the challenge of scaling hydrogen refueling infrastructure. The FCgen-HPS adds an important high-power density fuel cell stack to Ballard’s current product line-up, supporting our efforts to penetrate these large addressable markets, while also improving our long-term positioning for future motive applications, including passenger cars and urban air mobility.”
While Audi did purchase the right to use the new fuel cell technology, the Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies is non-exclusive – while Audi is free to use the fuel cells in its cars, Ballard will also be allowed to use the fuel cells in a number of different vehicles, including buses, railcars, boats, and in mining, construction, and aerospace vehicles, as well as stationary power applications.
