A consortium of 14 partners is engaged in comprehensive research and direct options for use of fuel cell powertrains for coaches. The consortium provides a good basis with its coherent structure and balanced partnership aiming for the highest benefits from a technological and market perspective. Click on each logo to read more about their expertise and contribution to CoacHyfied.
Alternative Mobility (AM) is an innovative company that specializes in the development of solutions in the field of electric mobility. This involves the creation and implementation of both hardware and software concepts that can be used in electric vehicles and charging stations. Through many years of experience, AM has built up extensive knowledge in this area. Our core competence is currently the production of a conversion kit for the electrification of diesel buses. Depending on the requirements, different drive and battery systems are used. This enables a flexible, customer-specific solution that can be adapted to the vehicle in an uncomplicated and efficient manner.
AM is now in a phase of ramping up to meet the initiated demand. With the above capabilities AM sees a good match for the required tasks to successfully develop the integration of the fuel cell (including electric axles, battery system and auxiliary components) within the CoacHyfied project consortium.
Plastic Omnium is a major and global Automotive Tier 1 supplier, global market leader active in onboard energy storage. Plastic Omnium has three main business areas: production of bumpers and exterior parts, production of fuel tanks and after-treatment (SCR) systems and assembly of modules for the automotive industry.
The company has been involved in research and development of hydrogen storage solutions and hydrogen fuel cells since 2014, with a view to support the ramp-up of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV) and the will to become a major tier one supplier for the H2 worldwide mobility sector. With the aim to develop a one stop shop offer for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the mobility sector, Plastic Omnium and German tier 1 automotive supplier ElringKlinger have set up a joint venture (EKPO: 60% EK, 40% PO) to develop and industrialize advanced fuel cell stacks. Part of the deal was also a 100% takeover of ElringKlinger Fuelcell Systems Austria GmbH by PO New Energies in order to strengthen its competence in fuel cell systems engineering and production towards a respective product portfolio.
The competence of the Austrian subsidiary, recently re-namend into PO New Energies Wels GmbH, relies on a team of highly skilled and experienced engineers, bringing together the critical mass and long-lasting experience in all necessary disciplines of fuel cell system engineering such as process design & development, mechanical and E/E engineering, software development, safety and compliance engineering. The team successfully carried out various projects in on-road and off-road applications incl. infrastructure for hydrogen refueling.
The subsidiary of PO in its location Wels operates all necessary infrastructure required to support fuel cell system engineering, testing of components and fuel cell systems as well as pilot production of prototypes used in end-user and field test programs.
LLC TREZORS is an enterprise with the aim to implement zero emission technologies in Eastern Europe to reduce the environmental impact and to support the development of energy efficiency usage. One of the main pillars for TREZORS is to set up the fuel cell and hydrogen technology promotion and assistance for real-life implementation.
TREZORS is looking forward to lead WP5 of CoacHyfied. TREZORS’ staff has extensive experience in collaboration with different stakeholders around Europe. TREZORS is open to collaborate with stakeholders from the field of transport, energy and public services in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. TREZORS is looking forward to becoming the lead consultancy service provider of Hydrogen applications in Eastern Europe and to open new partnerships in regions that are only in preliminary stages of Hydrogen deployment initiatives i.e. Lithuania and Poland, Estonia and Latvia.
NPROXX is a global leader in designing, developing and manufacturing Type 4 pressure vessels for the storage of hydrogen under high pressure. Our accomplished team has decades of diverse experience in mechanical engineering with expertise in the energy industry. With experience in producing complex CFRP products, our expertise comprises engineering, design and series manufacturing capabilities. We can also supply Type 3 pressure vessels for those markets where Type 4 is not yet applicable.
NPROXX delivers products and services to a wide range of industries, such as:
We offer NPROXX customers advanced knowledge of materials, scientific expertise, design and project management skills and a highly proactive approach, to design, develop, refine and manufacture pressure vessels for hydrogen storage in both stationary and mobile applications. Our key processes have been awarded many international certifications. Our focus is on optimized cost performance ratios of pressure vessels. We achieve advantages by saving and optimal usage of carbon fibers.
SIA “DOBELES AUTOBUSU PARKS” (LLC “DOBELE BUS PARK”) was established in 1992 and is situated in Dobele (Latvia). The owner of the company is the municipality of Dobele county. The main service provided by the company is the regular and irregular transportation of students, the transportation of passengers in regular routes between cities and local routes as well as irregular trips ordered by clients. The company carries around 0.95 million passengers and drives around 2.4 million kilometers per year. The company’s annual turnover is 2.3 million EUR.
The company also provides the service of transportation for Dobele bus station. The company deals with the repair of buses, minibuses, trucks and cars. The company has got 90 employees out of which 55 are bus drivers, 21 technical workers, 7 bus station workers, 7 administration workers. The company has got 44 vehicles out of which 40 are buses.
The most suitable intercity transportation would be using hydrogen buses, for example the route RigaJelgava-Dobele, because in Jelgava it has been planned to build a hydrogen fuel station and also maintain separate routes to local towns.
Kiwa is an international orientated T.I.C. company. Testing, Inspection & Certification is the backbone of the services Kiwa offers. The headquarter of Kiwa is based in the Netherlands and the team who contributes to CoacHyfied is based in Apeldoorn. The unit Alternative Fuels and Pressure Products is specialized in high pressure applications. The team of engineers is well experienced and has up to date knowledge in the energy and mobility sector. Their expertise is well known throughout our international markets.
A substantial part of our work has to do with hydrogen as an energy carrier, from the automotive markets to the hydrogen filling stations. As we are attending several standardization committees, we are up to date to most Hydrogen related standards. Kiwa has already a decade of experience with testing and certification on Hydrogen related projects and components. The major benefit is the extensive technical coverage within the Kiwa group when it comes to energy related topics. ATEX, Research and Development, feasibility studies and Risk analyses are available in our own group. With this in-house knowledge Kiwa is a very good partner and can contribute on a high technical level throughout the work packages in the proposal.
Given the technical request of this project concerning the certification of the Hydrogen powertrain of the coaches, Kiwa has the required accreditation. We are technical service for the RDW and have the R134 in our scope.
HYPORT SAS, is a company dedicated to the deployment of the green hydrogen industry in the Occitanie / Pyrénées – Méditerranée region. HYPORT SAS is the subsidiary of ENGIE (51%) and AREC (Regional Climate Energy Agency) (49%). AREC is the Regional operator of investment in renewable energies, arm of the regional strategy in renewable energies.
HYPORT is in charge of the deployment of hydrogen refueling stations and associated vehicles. These deployments are carried out in the form of an ecosystem allowing vehicles and hydrogen stations deployed in an area to be simultaneously used. In these ecosystems, HYPORT plans to deploy vehicles in the form of an all-inclusive rental, including the supply of energy. The use of coaches is intended for the transportation of passengers from the airport of TLP to Lourdes and Tarbes.
ENGIE Solutions is a subsidiary of the ENGIE Group (formerly GDF Suez) and company specialized in energy services with 160.000 employees. ENGIE Cofely offers its customers numerous energy services solutions. More specifically, energy services include both multi-technical facility management, facility management and energy performance management.
ENGIE Group is a global reference in low-carbon energy and services. In response to the urgency of climate change, ENGIE’s ambition is to become the world leader in the zero-carbon transition “as a service” for their customers, in particular global companies and local authorities. ENGIE relies on their key activities (renewable energy, gas, services) to offer competitive turnkey solutions.
RWTH Aachen University is one of the leading technical universities in Germany. It employs 564 professors, 2.200 scientific staff members and 2.100 non-scientific employees. In 2018, 45.256 students were taught in 158 courses of study in the fields of medicine, humanities, social and economic sciences, mathematics, computer and natural sciences, and engineering sciences; the number of graduates was 7.164. RWTH Aachen University’s wide reach is reflected in the 17 % of students from other federal states (not NRW) and the 20 % of students from abroad. The quality of teaching is ensured by a comprehensive quality management system.
The high innovation potential and the high level of research and development are ensured by strategic orientations and interdisciplinary cooperation, for example in profile areas, Clusters of Excellence and various centres. Recently, RWTH Aachen University was repeatedly successful in the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments; in the course of this initiative, it is addressing the major challenges facing our society in three Clusters of Excellence.
The Institute for Combustion Engines (VKA) at RWTH Aachen University is led by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Pischinger and concentrates on all issues relating to the mobile powertrain. In many different projects, the VKA has acquired a high level of expertise in the area of classic internal combustion engine but also hybrid drives, batteries and fuel cells. VKA has sufficient experience in the field of fuel cell research. For more than 20 years, VKA has carried out several projects regarding fuel cells in the domains of simulation and the testing. With regards to the entire vehicle powertrain layout, several topologies for fuel cell systems are developed and examined by VKA with the main focus on full and plug-in hybrids as well as range extender concepts. Besides the fuel cell itself, VKA focuses the fuel cell system and the individual components of the system. In order to operate the fuel cell system most efficiently with respect to lifetime and energy demand, the hydrogen supply, air supply and thermal management are considered concerning mechanical setup and optimal operating strategy.
VKA has rich experience by increasing operating time of fuel cell systems in different projects. In the project FC system simulation – membrane water management at 2017, a modular simulation architecture for fuel cell systems was developed and then applied in developing operating strategies to extend the life time of the FC system. In the project X-EMU (2017-2020), a high-performance fuel cell power train was developed. Reducing the degradation of the fuel cell system is one of the main targets in this project. By combining experiments at test benches and simulations with 1-D and 3-D models, the aging mechanism of the fuel cell system was analyzed and a new control strategy was developed by VKA.
VKA has high performance hardware test benches and experimental equipment. At the affiliated Center for Mobile Propulsion (CMP), laboratory facilities are available for testing fuel cells, components of fuel cell systems and large fuel cell systems. Furthermore, Hardware in the Loop (HiL) testing of electric machines can also be carried out. Detailed information about CMP is available in the section of “Description of significant infrastructures” below.
In this project, VKA will be responsible for WP1.4 and develop a maintenance scheduler concept to increase the operational time of coaches. In the course of this working package, VKA takes benefits from its fuel cell researching experience, related project experience and professional test benches. A new maintenance scheduler concept will be developed using predictive maintenance functionalities and state-of-health indicators, which enables early detection of faulty system operation and wear. Depending on the error source, the maintenance scheduler will enable countermeasures which could be a changed operating strategy or a workshop service.
As one of the companies of the Koç Group, Otokar has been providing solutions special to the needs of the customers with its own technology, design and applications since 1963. It is operating with more than 2.000 employees at the factory built with a footprint of 552.000 m2 in Sakarya (Turkey). Otokar has been manufacturing buses for public transportation, semi-trailers for transportation and logistics industry and tracked armoured vehicles and tactical armoured vehicles for the defence industry. Being a leader in the bus industry and the land vehicles in the defence industry in Turkey, Otokar is the main contractor in the “Design and Prototype Development Project” of ALTAY, the national battle tank of Turkey.
Otokar has developed battery powered electric buses. There are three different vehicle types with lithium ion batteries. Many technologies have been used in the development of the electric buses. Otokar is also competent in bus structural development and electronics development. Otokar’s main bus type will shift completely to battery powered electric buses in a few years. Otokar’s ability is to develop electronic pcb design and software development by using the system engineering approach.
Ford Otosan is a major automotive OEM in Turkey, designing and producing heavy-duty trucks, light/medium commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles and powertrains for all these automotive applications. Founded in 1959, Ford Otosan has the biggest R&D center of the Turkish automotive industry, with over 1.300 engineers developing advanced technologies for global competition. It is the global design and engineering center for Ford’s heavy commercial vehicles and engines.
Ford Otosan accounted for almost 60% of Turkey’s commercial vehicle production and over 60% of commercial vehicle exports. Ford Otosan not only developed and manufactures the new Ford Cargo heavy duty truck, and new 13-liter Ecotorq engines, also exported engine and heavy-duty truck technology to JMC – China. JMC have started to manufacture under license Ford Cargo heavy-duty trucks powered by Ecotorq engines in the world’s largest truck market, China.
During the IAA 2018 in Hannover (Germany) the new Ford F-Max tractor was unveiled and it was chosen to be the International Truck of the Year 2018. Ford Trucks is currently available in Eastern European countries. F-Max is being marketed in different continents globally. The current annual production capacity is 15,000 units. Ford Trucks’ wide product portfolio covers long haulage, construction and road trucks between 16 and 40 tons. The future plan is to increase the market shares in the European market with high-end technologies that pave the way for high-end safety, comfort and efficiency that this project will trigger in the heavy-duty truck segment. Therefore, we are also planning to develop an optimized powertrain meeting needs both coach and truck.
In general, Ford Otosan is to take role in PT CAE for e-powertrain development, including optimization of CAE – Thermal management and fuel cell digital integration in coach powertrain. This will include optimization of e-powertrain that will also be available for heavy duty trucks in the future. We will also take role in e-axle optimization for coach applications, for which the base e-axle is being developed as part of the H2020-Longrun project for trucks.
ISEE Mobility GmbH was founded as a spin-off of three companies with competences in automotive engineering (I SEE Electric Busses GmbH), production (Tassima AG) and marketing/sales (Luana Group), to establish a franchise system for the electrification of the public transport bus sector in Europe. I SEE develops and distributes conversion kits for diesel-powered buses, which allow the electrification of public transport bus fleets.
I SEE´s core competences are:
I SEE exhibited an MAN Lion´s City 12m city bus at the largest and most renown bus and coach exhibition in Brussels in October 2019. For comparison, I SEE invited bus operators, the press and the large bus manufacturer for test drives on Brussels roads. These raised a good demand for I SEE converted buses by national and international bus operators which is further triggered by the I SEE leasing concept that offers electrification of bus fleets without investment but only based on a monthly rental fee.
I SEE is now in a phase of ramping up to meet the initiated demand. With above the capabilities I SEE sees a good match for the required tasks to successfully develop the integration of the fuel cell (including electric axles, battery system and auxiliary components) within the CoacHyfied project consortium.
ElringKlinger AG, headquartered in Dettingen/Erms (Germany) has bundled its fuel cell system development and production expertise in its 100% subsidiary ElringKlinger Fuelcell Systems Austria GmbH (EKAT), which has been founded in December 2018 and is located in Wels (Austria). EKAT started with a team of highly skilled and experienced engineers, bringing together the critical mass and competence in all necessary disciplines of FC system engineering such as process design and development, mechanical and E/E engineering, software development, safety and compliance engineering. The team successfully carried out various projects in on- and off-road applications including infrastructure for hydrogen refueling.
As an independent and globally positioned supplier, ElringKlinger is a powerful and reliable partner to the automotive industry. Be it passenger car or commercial vehicle, equipped with an optimized combustion engine, with hybrid technology, or with an all-electric motor – ElringKlinger offers innovative solutions for all types of drive system. In doing so, the Group is making a committed contribution to sustainable mobility. Its lightweight concepts help to reduce the overall weight of vehicles. As a result, vehicles powered by combustion engines consume less fuel and emit less CO2, while those equipped with alternative propulsion systems benefit from an extended range. Developing cutting-edge battery and C technology as well as electric drive units, ElringKlinger is among the frontrunners when it comes to positioning itself as a specialist in the field of e-mobility.
Sheet metal forming, temperature treatments, a variety of coating methods, part handling and the assembly of thin sheet metal pieces as well as laser welding are common processes in the mass production of sheet metal gaskets. Based on the profound production know-how and the distinctive stacking experience, ElringKlinger is in the position to produce FC components and stacks for different applications in series. Almost two decades ago, ElringKlinger initiated its R&D activities in the field of FC technology and achieved its own PEM FC stacks, which are now commercially available.
Besides its activities in the new business fields, the Group is committed to evolving our sealing technology for a wide range of applications. Its shielding systems are designed to ensure high-end temperature and acoustics management throughout the vehicle. Dynamic precision parts developed by ElringKlinger can be used in all types of drive system. Additionally, the Group’s portfolio includes engineering services, tooling technology, and products made of high-performance plastics, which are also marketed to industries beyond the automotive sector. These efforts are supported by a dedicated workforce of more than 10,000 people at 45 ElringKlinger Group locations around the globe.
Coventry University is the UK’s second largest university by undergraduate student numbers. It is engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching across several disciplines including engineering and computer science, and conducts academic research through its Research Centers, including the Institute of Future Transport and Cities (FTC).
The CoacHyfied project activities will be undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Low-Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS), which forms part of FTC and hosts Coventry University’s e-Mobility Group. The Group was established in 2019 and brings together existing CU expertise with academics in energy storage, power electronics and electric machines. In total the new group comprises of 21 full time academics making it one of largest UK based academic team conducting e-Mobility research. C-ALPS also includes a partnership with FEV which includes co-investment in CU facilities.
The main task of the Group is decarbonizing transport, with electrification of the propulsion systems as a key aspect. This is where the C-ALPS expertise lies, together with the energy storage systems design, assembly, evaluation and modelling facilities. The project team brings a wealth of expertise in the thermal management of fuel cell propulsion systems, which will be valuable for the development of advanced thermal management concepts in WP3.
Ballard Power Systems Europe A/S was founded in January 2007 and is recognized as one of the leading players in the commercial application of LT PEM FC solutions. The company is based in Hobro (Denmark) and employs 70 highly skilled people at its modern production facilities, which have been expanded in 2019 in order to produce and deliver future FC systems for heavy duty transport and maritime applications in Europe. Ballard Power Systems Europe focuses on three key business areas:
The company is owned 100% by Ballard Power Systems Inc. of Canada. With over seven generations of heavy-duty product development, Ballard has partnered with over ten bus manufacturers, integrated four different hybrid FC electric drive train systems, powered more than 100 fuel cell buses in 20 cities, created six global (three European) service centers to ensure fleet availability and achieved >30,000 hours of operation (in London) on a single FC stack.
Ballard Power Systems Europe has many years of experience in providing FC solutions for heavy duty motive applications, mainly through participating in European funded projects. This includes busses, trucks, train, material handling and ships with focus on hybrid power design and application engineering and service maintenance support of vehicles in the field.
In the project Ballard will provide the FC system for the long distance coach, develop the hybrid electric drive train and integrate the FC into the vehicle managing all interfaces, and adapt and integrate the fuel cell control system – all in collaboration with the coach OEM and the integrator. Also, Ballard will support the safety process towards certification of the vehicle through testing and documentation. Ballard will participate in the commissioning of the FC coaches and support the demonstration phase with training of drivers and vehicle technicians and provide extra support during the “teething” period.
FEV is an independent internationally recognised company in the design and development of electric, hybrid and fuel cell powertrains, power units and burners as well as a manufacturer of prototypes and instrumentation systems. FEV was founded in 1978 and has now almost 7.000 employees at various facilities worldwide.
As a supplier, FEV conducts the powertrain and power unit development projects from the initial concept phase through production release under direct implementation of the latest scientific discoveries. FEV has extensive experience in designing and developing new power systems as well as in the modification of existing designs. Our capabilities and experience extend to power system packaging and powertrain systems integration, including the control of integrated powertrain functions, certification, calibration and homologation. FEV develops and uses mathematical models for the analysis of mechanical stress and noise and acoustic, combustion, flow processes, thermal, medium and electrical flow management and for catalysis processes.
FEV is partner of Hydrogen Europe and furthermore participates in the European “Green Vehicle Initiative”, the Public Private Partnership conceived by the European Commission in 2009 to focus public and private research on issues of direct and significant relevance to the Europe with regard to the competitiveness of industry and employment. Within this context, FEV is also actively involved in the European Technology Platform ERTRAC (road transport) and European Research Platform EARPA.
FEV Europe has many years of experience in developing and integrating and demonstrating fuel cell solutions for passenger cars and other applications. Also, the integration of electric powertrains is a key topic for FEV which can support the efficient integration of the FC systems into the powertrains and the powertrains setup of the coaches within this project. FEV will provide the hybrid control system and support the integration of the controls and the hydrogen system into the coaches. Additionally, FEV will look for efficient monitoring and data collection concepts. Last but not least, FEV will be responsible for the project coordination and is experienced in this context (at the moment coordinates 4 EU plus several nationally funded projects).