We are currently entering the 'age of electrochemical power', displacing fossil fuels and the internal combustion engine. The critical need to decarbonise the transport sector has led to major improvements in battery technology and the rapidly growing uptake of electric vehicles. Li-ion battery technology has led the way and resulted in massively improved performance and reduced cost. However, the weight/size, recharging time and cost of batteries are a challenge for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles. Hybridising fuel cells with batteries deliveries a 'best of both worlds' scenario that can deliver the needs of this sector.

Fuel cells are an electrochemical energy technology that has the highest know efficiency for conversion of chemical fuel into electricity. They work by electrochemically splitting fuel molecules (e.g. hydrogen), with the consequent passage of electrical current. There is no combustion or moving parts involved, and the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), which operates on hydrogen fuel at a temperature of 50-80C, is considered to be the most promising fuel cell type for automotive applications.

While the PEFC shows great promise and delivers in terms of performance (efficiency, power density, etc.) it still requires cost reduction, a means of large-scale manufacture and improvements to longevity. Bramble Energy's technology uses printed circuit board (PCB) materials and manufacturing techniques to realise a low-cost, light-weight, rugged system with fundamental advantages that make it highly design flexible and durable. The Bramble Energy approach thinks about the structure of a fuel cell in a different way. A traditional fuel cell needs capital intensive, bespoke manufacturing techniques tailored specifically to each application. A Bramble Energy fuel cell uses only standard PCB materials and manufacturing techniques such that its production can be done, in principle, at any PCB production plant worldwide.

The global commercial road vehicle market was valued at USD 1.32 trillion in 2017 and is a major source of CO2 emissions. Hydrogen fuel cells offer the opportunity to decarbonise this sector, which, due to weight and range requirements, is exceedingly difficult to electrify using lithium-ion batteries alone. This project will demonstrate how fuel cells can be incorporated within conventional lithium-ion battery modules, and demonstrate the approach in an operational 'mule' vehicle, such that the fuel cell effectively becomes part of the battery pack space within a vehicle. This will significantly improve the ability of fuel cells to be integrated within electric vehicles, improve manufacturability, system weight/volume performance and cost.