The Hitmobile Center of Excellence’s Department of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems “Acad. Evgeni Budevski” at BAS hosted a demonstration of the country’s first hydrogen-powered automobile (IEES-BAS).

As part of the “Center of Competence “Hitmobile – Technologies and Systems for Generation, Storage, and Consumption of Clean Energy” project, the vehicle was imported into the nation.

A single buffer battery that operates in parallel with a maximum power of 90 kilowatts assumes peak loads in this all-hydrogen fuel cell vehicle’s electric motor, which has a maximum output of 120 kilowatts. The tanks have a capacity of about 6 kg of hydrogen when fully charged, which at the consumption of about 1 kilogramme per 100 kilometres allows a range of about 600 km on a single charge.

This is the first registration of a similar fuel cell electric car in Bulgaria, paving the way because there was no such possibility before this car emerged, according to Assoc. Dr Blagoy Burdin, director of the laboratory, of which this car will be a part.

In contrast to battery electromobility, where charging stations can be very small, even for home use, when we talk about a hydrogen charging station, the facilities are quite large and there is a need for a large scale – the production of hundreds of kilogrammes of hydrogen per day or the charging of hundreds of cars, several dozen at a time, Bourdyn noted.

We anticipate that the first car hydrogen refuelling station will be operational in September or October and will be able to charge both this car and other cars because its capacity, though demonstrative, is 10-11 kg per day, according to the expert. It is being built within the Hitmobile Competence Center.