Hydrogen bus launches in Europe; Advent launches MEA

Loop Energy announces that Mobility & Innovation is launching its H2Bus, an 8-metre hydrogen-electric minibus.

With more than 1,200 km driven, Mobility & Innovation developed the bus to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen fuel cell technology in transit vehicles and market its future product line. With seating for 21 passengers, the bus offers a zero-emissions solution to urban transit. Power will be provided by a Loop Energy S300 Series hydrogen fuel cell system and an electric motor.

Mobility & Innovation will display the bus in Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic to secure orders for the H2Bus in markets across Europe.

The H2Bus requires just 10.5 kg of hydrogen to achieve more than 400 km of range. The increased fuel efficiency allows for lower onboard fuel storage, which has enabled the flexibility to integrate the hydrogen tanks into the bus’ engine compartment. H2Bus is an early example of this design being made possible in a minibus.

Mobility & Innovation chose Loop Energy’s 30 kW fuel cell system after its eFlowTM technology outperformed competitors’ products in fuel efficiency tests last year. Throughout the Pilot Phase of its Customer Adoption Cycle, Loop Energy provided integration and design support to help achieve EU homologation approval.

Advent Technologies launches Next-Generation HT-PEM MEAs

Advent Technologies Holdings, Inc. announced the availability of its next-generation Membrane Electrode Assembly (Advent MEA).

These MEAs have already been provided for testing to select strategic partners. The Advent MEA is currently being developed within the framework of L’Innovator, the Company’s joint development program with the US Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Advent intends to scale up the production capacity of Advent MEA in the order of 100s kW (fuel cell power equivalent) per month in mid-2023.

Due to the high-temperature operation, Advent’s MEAs can work with impure hydrogen that can be reformed onboard from e-methanol, natural gas, and other renewable fuels. Once commercialised, the new Advent MEA is expected to redefine the MEA market globally and further validate Advent’s leading position in the electrochemistry components business.