For the first time FCSL will be able to utilize a new battery electric commercial vehicle from Tevva to house the hydrogen storage and dispensing system, delivering green hydrogen from a zero-emission at tailpipe vehicle. The vehicle will be ADR certified so that it can be driven on public roads. Both Tevva and FCSL are UK manufacturers at the forefront of efforts to decarbonize transport.
FCSL will design and build a modular electrolyzer system to produce green hydrogen for the site. The containerized system will be made up of 40 Enapter AEM electrolyzer modules housed in 8 19” racks and will provide 40 kg of hydrogen per day.
FCSL has previously built mobile refueling vehicles both for short term rental and sale, with customers including the BMW Group, the Met Police and EMEC (for ZeroAvia’s hydrogen aircraft).
Funded by the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF), Cranfield University was awarded £3.1 million to advance its sustainable aviation research, both into developing low-carbon aircraft, and decarbonizing airport logistics. The funding from Research England will also have an immediate impact on reducing or eliminating greenhouse gas emissions from flying and airside operations at Cranfield University.
It will unlock further potential from two existing Cranfield UKRPIF projects – the Aerospace Integration Research Centre (AIRC) and the Digital Aviation Research and Technology Center (DARTeC) - by providing new facilities and equipment to support research focused on sustainable aviation.
Tom Chicken, CEO at Fuel Cell Systems, commented ,“We are very pleased to work with Cranfield University on this green hydrogen refueling project. The deployment of a mobile refueling solution combining use of a battery electric vehicle from Tevva, with green hydrogen production and FCSL’s own dispensing system takes us another step forward to delivering zero emission transport products in the UK”.
Professor Graham Braithwaite, Director of Transport Systems, leads the DARTeC project and said, “The whole aviation ecosystem - from ground operations to aircraft, from airports to autonomy – is on the cusp of huge and positive disruption; and we have a lead role, working alongside industry partners and new start-up businesses, to bring the potential for net zero to fruition.
“With deployment of this fuel-cell grade hydrogen production and a flexible mobile delivery system, Cranfield looks forward to a close collaboration with FCSL developing future hydrogen vehicle refuelling systems for aviation and other transport modes.
Dr. Harsh Pershad, Head of Hydrogen at Tevva, said, “The urgent challenges of emissions reductions can be met faster when experience and technologies are shared across traditional boundaries. Tevva is therefore delighted to support this initiative, which neatly integrates zero carbon aviation with road transport, battery electric and hydrogen technologies, academia, businesses and government.
