• State Secretary Jens Deutschendorf praises the initiative of the cooperation partners 
• Seven electric vehicles with fuel cell technology on the road
• H2 project partners extend technology partnership
  

Three years, six partners, seven HyKangoo delivery vehicles, 120,000 kilometers - in short, a successfully implemented mobility project has come to an end. At the end of January, the cooperation partners Umicore, Evonik, Fraunhofer IWKS, IHK, Heraeus, and Stadtwerke Hanau presented the results of the H2anau project, which was funded by the Federal State of Hesse and EU funds, to representatives from politics and business at a digital event.

Jens Deutschendorf, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Housing, praised the initiative of the cooperation partners and spoke about the importance of hydrogen for Hesse: "Hesse is a pacesetter on the road to climate- and environmentally-friendly mobility, and that is why we also want to be involved in hydrogen technology. Hydrogen generated with wind or solar power makes green energy storable, whether on rail, in heavy-duty road transport or in aircraft engines. Hydrogen is a key element of the energy and transportation transition. Integrated structures for the production and use of hydrogen at local and regional level should also be created in Hesse."

Kerstin Oberhaus from the specialty chemicals company Evonik, which was the lead partner for the cooperation project, made it clear that without the support of the federal state, the project would very likely not have come to pass: "I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Federal State of Hesse and the European Regional Development Fund on behalf of all the cooperation partners for funding this forward-looking project! As well as the Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Housing and the WI-Bank, which had made the project possible in advance."

Dr. Jörg Zimmermann from the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies (in short Fraunhofer IWKS) summarized all the facts and figures on the H2anau experience in his final scientific report on behalf of the cooperation partners.  

Particularly revealing was the general application potential of electric delivery vehicles with fuel cell range extension.

Based on real-world experience with the various partners and their different requirements and fields of application, it was determined that the HyKangoo vehicle used can already cover a wide range of real-world requirement profiles for delivery vehicles.  

"The vehicle still has weaknesses in the design of the system – with 5 kW, the fuel cell is too small - and also the control system - no charging of the battery when the vehicle is parked.  But a battery vehicle with a hydrogen-powered fuel cell as a range extender can in general be used as a delivery vehicle in quiet, low-emission and preferably low-CO2 operation in the typical operating radii of up to 200 km for these vehicles," reports Jörg Zimmermann.

Hanau’s Mayor Claus Kaminsky emphasized the expertise of many cooperation partners in fuel cell and hydrogen technology: "We are excellently positioned here in Hanau. After all, we have many technologies to offer across the entire value chain from generation, storage, infrastructure, usage to recycling."

Representatives of the cooperation project by Heraeus, Umicore, Fraunhofer IWKS and Evonik presented a selection of these hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to the participants at the closing event. Among other things, they discussed how fuel cells work and the precious metal catalysts that are important for the electrolysis process, the development of membranes, and the recycling of fuel cells.

At the end of the H2anau project, all cooperation partners decided to continue making a strong commitment together. They will stay on top of the latest developments when it comes to bundling the H2 and fuel cell expertise available in Hanau in the individual companies and organizations and lifting it onto a larger stage together. With this in mind, the expertise network established as part of this project will continue to be cultivated and expanded.

Project partners:

• Umicore
• Evonik
• Fraunhofer IWKS
• IHK
• Heraeus
• Stadtwerke Hanau

 

Supported by:

• City of Hanau

 

Funded by:

• Hessian Ministry of Economics, Energy, Transport and Housing
• EUROPEAN UNION: European Regional Development Fund

 

Source: Press release Evonik