Bramble Energy, a specialist in cleantech and hydrogen fuel cell technology, has has successfully completed a project aimed at accelerating the transition to an electrified automotive industry in the UK, funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC)’s Scale-up Readiness Validation (SuRV) program.
APC’s automotive transformation director, Julian Hetherington, said, “Our aim is to support innovative businesses like Bramble Energy that have the expertise to accelerate change in the automotive sector as it transitions to a net-zero future. By advancing fuel cell technology, it brings a viable net-zero transport solution which can scale quickly and be delivered at lower cost.”
As part of the Automotive Transformation Fund – a program created to support large-scale industrialization – Bramble Energy was awarded £1.8m (US$2.3m) in September 2022 to develop an optimized fuel cell stack assembly with the capacity to produce up to 2,000 50kW stacks per year. In less than two years, this task has been accomplished at the company’s HQ and Hydrogen Innovation Hub in Crawley, UK.
Central to this achievement is Bramble Energy’s Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell (PCBFC), a patented technology designed to simplify the fuel cell stack assembly process by integrating the membrane electrode assembly into unitised PCB modules.
Bramble says this approach not only simplifies production but also demonstrates a clear pathway toward achieving a low-cost production target of US$100/kW (£80/kW) at the scale of 2,000 x 50kW stacks/year.
In addition to the SuRV project success, Bramble Energy also secured funding last year for an initiative aimed at deploying fuel cell technology in a new hydrogen-powered double-deck bus. Collaborating with partners such as Equipmake, Aeristech and the University of Bath, this project– part of the Hydrogen Electric Integrated Drivetrain Initiative (HEIDI) – received £6.3m (US$7.9m) in support from the APC, matched by industry contributions totalling £12.7m (US$16m).
Dr Tom Mason, CEO of Bramble Energy, said, “In our efforts to help both the automotive and public transport industry find a clean, reliable and cost-effective way of powering vehicles, both the SuRV and HEIDI projects have helped us deliver internal efficiency development, refine our build process and create more flexibility with our design.
“The UK government’s aim to halt new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035 influences Bramble Energy’s plans. However, it’s just part of a larger vision. Our focus extends beyond this goal as we work toward creating real-world, commercially viable solutions for the wider transportation sector: a key milestone in this journey is HEIDI, our hydrogen-powered double-deck bus demonstrator.”
