Immortal hydrogen consortium gains powerful new members for fuel cell tech

The participants will be working together to develop the H2 technology for heavy-duty trucks.

The Immortal hydrogen consortium, a major collaboration in Europe, has launched for the development of fuel cell technology to be used in heavy-duty trucks.

The participants are aiming to develop important advancements in this H2-powered technology.

The Immortal hydrogen consortium has been valued at €3.8 million ($4.5 million) and aims to decarbonize freight transport. Its goal is to do this through the development of high-performance H2 fuel cell components for heavy-duty trucks. These components will have a lifespan of a minimum of 30,000 hours.

Among the consortium’s backers are some of the most powerful stakeholders in European fuel cell supply. These include Bosch, AVL, Johnson Matthey, FPT Industrial, CNH Industrial, and CNRS Montpellier. A core goal for the members is not just on current function but also on long-term durability. As such, it would greatly improve the appeal of hydrogen fuel cell technology for powering heavy-duty trucks.

The Immortal hydrogen consortium aims to develop fuel cell tech with obvious appeal for adoption.

Work centered on membrane components and fuel cell electrocatalysts will be the focus of Johnson Matthey. That firm will also be responsible for integration of those components into catalyst-coated membranes with catalyst layers. The goal will be to enhance lifespan and performance.

Bosch will use its automotive supply expertise in fuel cell systems for the development of testing protocols for the cells and stacks. These testing protocols will be meant as a reflection of real-life applications in addition to accelerated stress protocols. Those will then be attached to short stacks and large size MEAs.

CNH Industrial’s powertrain brand FPT Industrial, is among the largest commercial vehicle powertrain manufacturers in the world and is a leader in electrification transition. That company will be providing the requirements for the industry system and the analysis that will predict the cost of the stack.

AVL will provide a second stack platform while CNRS Montpellier will head the work and project for the Immortal hydrogen consortium membrane reinforcement and will reinforce those membranes and electrocatalysts.

“Projects like Immortal are absolutely essential in driving down the costs of components and enhancing the competitiveness of hydrogen fuel cells powered trucks, a sector posed to grow exponentially in the next decade,” said the executive director of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) Bart Biebuyck. “With the ambitious target of cutting its transport emission by 90% by 2050, we need to ensure that EU companies remain ahead of the game in the heavy duty sector.”