Universal Hydrogen and JBT AeroTech team-up to activate new airport hydrogen fuel plan

A joint development agreement has been signed by the two companies.

Universal Hydrogen Co. and JBT AeroTech announced that they will jointly design and develop an H2AmpCart™, a mobile battery charger powered by hydrogen fuel cells for existing electrified airport ground support equipment (GSE).

The aviation industry is moving away from diesel-powered GSE.

The aviation industry is working toward its goal of meeting environmental and local community needs by eliminating emissions. One of the ways it is achieving this objective is by moving away from diesel-powered GSE through the quick adoption of electric equipment to mitigate the adverse effect of greenhouse gas emissions and doing away with harmful air pollutants and noise nuisances for communities near airports.

The H2AmpCart™ is a major step toward eliminating emissions from the world’s more than 4,000 commercial airports. With hydrogen fuel, it can help overcome challenges that have made it difficult for the shift toward electric GSE to become reality. So far, electric ground support equipment has been hindered by infrastructure challenges, such as the limitations of airports’ grid power, lack of renewable power on the grid, and insufficient funding from airports for electrical charging stations.

The H2AmpCart™ addresses these challenges and can integrate seamlessly into existing airport operation for immediate and cost-effective transition to zero emissions.

The first hydrogen fuel cell demonstrator unit is set to showcase by the end of the year.

Both Universal Hydrogen and JBT AeroTech have recognized the urgency of the climate crisis and will rapidly develop and showcase the first demonstrator H2AmpCart™ unit – which will use Ballard’s FCmove-HD+™ hydrogen fuel cell – before the end of 2023.

Production of the hydrogen-powered mobile battery charger is slated to begin in 2024 and enter into service by the end of the same year.

A turnkey solution.

To this partnership, JBT AeroTech is bringing its expertise as a pioneer and leader in the development of electric GSE and its experience with its existing AmpCart product. The company will be responsible for the production of the fuel cell changer, airport and aircraft compatibility and sales and support.
Universal Hydrogen is bringing its modular hydrogen delivery system and will provide hydrogen fuel services to H2AmpCart™ customers at airports across the globe with no additional on-airport infrastructure required.

“Our modular hydrogen fueling solution, requiring no new hydrogen infrastructure to be built, will ensure that the H2AmpCartTM is a turnkey electric GSE charging solution for airlines and airports that cannot afford to wait years or have the investment capability for clean electric charging infrastructure to de deployed,” said Arnaud Namer, Universal Hydrogen’s COO.

“Collaborating with Universal Hydrogen to rapidly bring this modular hydrogen fuel-cell powered charger to market enables us to help our customers accelerate their conversion to electric power GSE,” said President of GSE at JBT AeroTech, Chuck Durst.

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