Bramble Energy is the lead partner of the Hydrogen Electric Integrated Drivetrain Initiative (HEIDI) which has received £6.3 million in funding from the Advance Propulsion Centre as part of the Automotive Transformation Fund. The £6.3 million awarded by the government will be matched by industry to a total of £12.7 million.
The UK-based consortium will develop a hydrogen-powered double-deck bus using first-of-its-kind fuel cell technology from Bramble Energy; Aeristech’s high efficiency air compressor, and Equipmake’s motor power electronics and battery management system. The powertrain will be optimized through vehicle simulations carried out by the University of Bath.
Bramble Energy has been selected for this project due to its fuel cell design and manufacturing process. Using a patented-protected printed circuit board technology, it can create bespoke fuel cell stacks in a matter of days at scale and low-cost. Bramble’s PCB technology eliminates the requirement for a number of complex and costly components found in a typical electrochemical stack, which not only simplifies the supply chain but also does not require vast retooling for manufacture.
The fuel cell stacks can be produced in almost any size and arrangement according to the end customer’s needs. The result is a cost-effective solution to supporting and accelerating the decarbonization of public transport and to improve air quality in towns and cities around the world.
In support of ambitions to build an end-to-end supply chain for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the UK, the project is expected to support nearly 500 jobs over the next decade and save nearly 6 million tonnes of CO2 from being emitted.
The UK based consortium in the HEIDI project will support fuel cell manufacturing in the UK for buses and commercial vehicles and, using a novel, low-cost method to manufacture fuel cells will accelerate the cost reduction of fuel cells, their use across society and the reduction of CO2 emissions.
