REFIRE 220KW HEAVY DUTY FUEL CELL SYSTEM DEBUTS AT HANNOVER MESSE 2023

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Apr 24, 2023, 03:10 ET

HANNOVER, Germany, April 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- REFIRE, the world's leading deployer of commercial hydrogen fuel cell technologies, presented PRISMA XXII, the company's most powerful-to-date fuel cell system at a technical seminar during Hannover Messe's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Europe exhibition and conference. Among other announcements, REFIRE was joined by its Hong Kong partner APAS R&D Centre in presenting their off-grid fuel cell EV charging and power project at the Messe. REFIRE Group's stack division, UNILIA also presented its product line-up covering heavy duty stacks and MEA component manufacturing capability.

REFIRE Vice President Audrey Ma speaks at a panel discussion organized by Hannover Messe officials (third from left)

The REFIRE team presents high-power fuel cell systems at the Hannover Messe.

PRISMA XXII TO FILL POWER GAP

REFIRE presented its latest heavy-duty fuel cell system, the PRISMA XXII, which delivers up to 220kW in a single integrated system. Implementing the latest in system and stack technology together with a DFM (Design for Manufacturing) approach has enabled improvements in price per kWh when compared with previous generations. This can translate to an overall system cost reduction of up to 30%, thereby contributing to the business case for commercial hydrogen power deployment.

Introducing the new product at a technical seminar, REFIRE Europe Director of Operations Mr Thomas Rösch said: "PRISMA XXII provides higher power in a compact form factor that will be suitable for long range, heavy duty vehicles, as well as marine, rail and stationary power applications. Hydrogen consumption is expected to be class leading. The system has a design life of 30,000h, cold start capability of -30°C, and it can perform at altitudes of up to 3,000m."

PRISMA XXII also features a 25% improvement in heat rejection which allows the fuel cell system to continue to operate at up to 95°C to deliver rated power during temporarily extreme ambient temperatures.

REFIRE Executive Director Research & Development Centre Mr Yun Liu added that: "PRISMA XXII's ability to power down from rated power to idling takes just one second, allows regenerated power to contribute up to 5% fuel savings. Various other advancements, such as the use of an expander on the compressor, are helping to reduce TCO (total cost of ownership)."

FUEL CELL-POWERED HEAVY DUTY TRUCKING: THE FUTURE

Together with representatives from Daimler Truck, Bosch, and Faurecia, REFIRE Vice President International Markets Ms Audrey Ma spoke at a panel discussion on the future of heavy-duty fuel cell trucking. She said: "Hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy-duty trucking is poised to become the important application of Europe's decarbonisation efforts". Ma also added in comments "It is clear now that with policy pushing for clean hydrogen adoption and zero emission transportation services across the EU, hydrogen fuel cell power is a viable way forward".

DECARBONISING HONG KONG'S ROADS

Also at Hannover Messe, Hong Kong green mobility R&D centre APAS (Automotive Platforms and Application Systems) together with REFIRE, presented Hong Kong's first fuel cell-electric vehicle charging prototype and off-grid power unit. Powered by a REFIRE fuel cell system, the 32kW device is a first for the city and represents a demonstration in supporting the Hong Kong government's plans to go carbon neutral by 2050.

APAS R&D Centre General Manager Allan Lai said: "With this project we are demonstrating how Hong Kong can decarbonise mobility using hydrogen-electric charging and power. REFIRE's products enable a relatively straightforward transition to hydrogen energy for the right use cases. By developing clean mobility and power products such as this EV charger, and by sharing solutions with regulators and industry, we hope that Hong Kong could eventually offer a blueprint for other cities to integrate hydrogen and fuel cell technology into their own energy mix. With all the space limitations and transport complexities, if clean hydrogen energy can be solved in Hong Kong, it can certainly be solved elsewhere."

APAS R&D Centre was established in 2006 by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government. It operates under the auspices of the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC).

Industry leader REFIRE is participating for the first time in the 29^th Hannover Messe which centres on industrial transformation and encourages cross-fertilisation of sectors. It is one of the largest industrial trade fairs in the world welcoming at least 250,000 visitors from around the globe. The Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Technology Expo Europe represents the most important industry gathering in the region and in 2023 has over 250 exhibitors.

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