The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) are funding Chemnitz University of Technology and its partners with a total of around ten million euros as part of two research and development (R&D) projects for the further development of hydrogen fuel cells. Chemnitz University of Technology will receive roughly 2.5 million euros from this.
The Chemnitz University of Technology Professorship of Advanced Powertrains (Head: Prof. Dr. Thomas von Unwerth) is in charge of the BMDV-funded project Stack and System Components of PEM Fuel Cells for Mobility Applications (HZwo: SuSyMobil), which will receive more than one million euros for the development of its Open Source Stack (OSS) research platform.
The Advanced Powertrains Professorship (ALF) is a research partner in the BMWK-funded BZ Turbocharger project, which aims to create a turbo compressor for fuel cell cars and is worth roughly 1.5 million euros.
“I congratulate our colleague Thomas von Unwerth and his colleagues on their outstanding achievement. This is a significant contribution to future mobility as well as the growth and extension of Chemnitz’s ‘hydrogen location,’ which has national and worldwide appeal “Prof. Dr. Gerd Strohmeier, Rector of Chemnitz University of Technology, agrees.
“Both initiatives aim to promote hydrogen technology research for tomorrow’s transportation. Chemnitz University of Technology’s significant engagement once again highlights the knowledge available in this sector at the Chemnitz site, as well as the future orientation of ‘Ready for Hydrogen.’ “Prof. Dr. Thomas von Unwerth agrees.
Chemnitz University of Technology has developed an open-source research platform that is ready for commercialization.
The HZwo: SuSyMobil R&D project is coordinated by Chemnitz University of Technology. René Schmiedel, a research assistant at the ALF professorship, is the project coordinator. The project has a total of seven partners. WätaS Wärmetauscher Sachsen GmbH, Bernd Flach Präzisionstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, ESKA Automotive GmbH, Handtmann Leichtmetallgießerei Annaberg GmbH, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU, WätaS Wärmetauscher Sachsen GmbH, Bernd Flach Präzisionstechnik GmbH
On December 1, 2021, the financing period will begin retroactively. The overall investment amount is estimated to be roughly 3.5 million euros. The project’s goal is to expand the Open Source Stack (OSS) research function platform created at the ALF professorship into a full system for testing hydrogen fuel cells in the mobility industry under real-world situations. The standardized test platform, for example, may be used to analyze and optimize manufacturing processes close to series production. Students and researchers at Chemnitz University of Technology, as well as those interested in the project in teaching and further education, will benefit from the test platform. “The initiative contributes significantly to the ongoing development of a value chain in Saxony for fuel cell development. The Open Source Stack research function platform provides a great opportunity for the fast transfer of research results to industry and, as a consequence, to direct application “René Schmiedel, the project coordinator, states
Fuel cell life cycle expenses should be reduced
Chemnitz University of Technology, together with IHI Charging Systems International GmbH and Silver Atena GmbH, is a project partner in the BZ Turbocharger project. The BMWK is sponsoring the initiative with a total of around seven million euros from the New Vehicle and System Technologies grant program. On the TU side, project coordination is handled by Erik Pohl, a research assistant at the ALF professorship. The project’s lifespan has been set at 33 months, retroactive to January 1, 2022.
The project’s goal is to lower the cost of a fuel cell system while also developing a turbo compressor. Fuel cell technology’s economic appeal will be enhanced in the future, and hydrogen-based electromobility will be encouraged in the long run. “The air compressor is an important part of the fuel cell power system. Its efficiency may be considerably boosted by combining it with a turbine. Simultaneously, system efficiency may be increased by matching components to the application optimally “Erik Pohl, the project manager, agrees.
The Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport has allocated 3.5 million euros to the HZwo: SuSyMobil project as part of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. NOW GmbH coordinates the financial direction, which is carried out by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action is supporting the BZ Turbocharger project with roughly seven million euros from the New Vehicle and System Technologies grant program. TÜV Rheinland is in charge of coordinating and implementing the financial mandate.
