H2X Global is plotting its course to a major exchange listing and is pushing into new markets in a bid to establish itself as a global premium hydrogen vehicle manufacturer. 

The company, which is undertaking a small initial capital raising, is planning to roll out a series of products in the coming months that will show new ways of working with hydrogen and bring clean energy to many different applications in cities.

One of H2X’s products is a light duty (30-75 kilowatts) optimised hydrogen fuel cell hybrid powertrain aimed at drastically reducing the refuelling time, improving efficiency and increasing the driving range of a vehicle.

A hydrogen fuel cell is a device that generates electrical power by a chemical reaction via conversion of fuel (hydrogen) into electricity.

Fuel cells allow a vehicle to be refuelled in a similar way and speed to traditional petrol-run vehicles.

H2X’s initial target market is high-use vehicles for commercial and sharing purposes where the availability of the vehicle is key.

The company says a fuel cell vehicle is more convenient and effective than a battery electric vehicle because it significantly reduces the time a vehicle is off the road for refuelling, which is crucial for commercial vehicles.

Explaining H2X’s approach to market, CEO Brendan Norman said the company worked with hydrogen infrastructure providers to establish ecosystems that were cost effective from the start.

“We look to offer multiple applications of vehicles to make it easy to reach a critical mass in one location,” he said. “This supports not only the refuelling exercise, but also allows us to establish high-quality after sales operations in all locations that our customers will be using hydrogen.

“Hydrogen ecosystems require a minimum volume to hit the market – our products focus on this market.”

H2X is also developing multiple light vehicles using the H2X powertrain system – a common chassis using sophisticated localised and renewable biocomposite materials.

The company has developed a modular power concept that enables the fitting of H2X power systems to existing and new heavy equipment, allowing for faster development of the hydrogen economy.

Hydrogen fuel cells in the spotlight

Hydrogen fuel cells have become a more mainstream focus for those in the industry, given the technology advancements that have enabled fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to refuel more quickly and travel longer distances.

Market researcher Research and Markets predicts the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle market will grow from around $US16bn in 2020 to nearly $US27bn by the end of 2025 at a compound annual growth rate of 11.23%.

Hydrogen technology is attracting significant investment from not only those developing the tech but retail and institutional investors as well.

Case in point is the recent strong investor support Pilot Energy (ASX:PGY) received for its capital raising, which attracted firm commitments from sophisticated, institutional and professional investors totalling $8m.

Pilot recently announced its expansion into the hydrogen and renewables space.

Decades of automotive experience

The team behind H2X has decades of experience in vehicle development, starting with CEO Brendan Norman who has spent nearly 30 years in top management with major car makers predominantly BMW and Audi/Volkswagen.

During his time at Volkswagen Group, including leading Asia Pacific regional strategy saw the growth of the Group in the region grow into 4-digit percentage territory over a 10-year period.

H2X head of design vice president Chris Reitz has 27 years of design experience, including as head of design for, Fiat and Nissan Europe and significant roles with Audi/Volkswagen.

“Our approach on the vehicles is a complete redesign of the concept of how we build it,” Reitz said.

“The production of vehicles can be optimised significantly with clean energy powertrains because of the shape and integration of the powertrains.

“We have exciting developments for efficiency, performance and to a very large extent in terms of use of renewable materials and clean manufacturing process.”

H2X’s Fuel Cell Team has more than 20 years’ experience, several different models of passenger cars, trucks and buses developed for other manufacturers, of which thousands of units have been delivered.

The company’s chief technology officer, Ian Thompson, also has an impressive CV that details a long career working on projects for big names like Tesla, Bentley, Aston Martin, Volvo and Maserati.

“One of our city focused vehicles will have a different hybrid battery solution to a city vehicle, where we are working with more dynamic technologies to maximise retention of Kinetic Energy, which is our focus,” Norman said.

Source: This article has originally published on Stockhead.

In an industry contributing a significant amount of CO2 to global emissions, green hydrogen-powered aircraft and associated technologies have seen increasing global demand.

Aviation H2 will focus on the rapidly expanding demand for hydrogen applications in the aviation industry.

Owned and funded by Liberty Energy Capital, Aviation H2 aims to create green hydrogen technology solutions to serve aviation applications.

Liberty Energy Capital and its nominees has investments in emerging green businesses including H2X Global, Sweetman Renewables Limited, Port Anthony Renewables Limited, Titan Hydrogen Limited, Infinite Blue Energy and Verdant Earth Technologies.

An Aviation H2 spokesman said as the world turns to green energy, the company is backing state-of-the-art technical solutions that will play a pivotal role in decarbonising the aviation industry.

“Aviation H2’s mission is to empower companies, both domestically and internationally, by leveraging the latest in renewable hydrogen technology, helping the industry transition to a sustainable energy strategy,” he said.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded most planes, commercial flights accounted about 2.5% of global emissions of carbon dioxide.

The spokesman said hydrogen was the fuel of the future and could be used across commercial airlines, defence forces, cargo industry, and freight services.

“Hydrogen is viewed as one of the most viable options for decarbonising the transport industry, which accounts for over one-fifth of global CO2 emissions,” he said.

As net-zero becomes the universal standard among western governments, the spokesman said hydrogen is estimated to grow into a global market worth US$201 billion by 2025.

“Aviation H2 has been founded on a shared vision to harness the power of renewable energy to take the aviation sector — which makes up 2% of global emissions — into industry 5.0.” he said.

While hydrogen is increasingly considered as one of the most promising zero-emissions fuels for future aircraft, there are still many challenges to overcome. Hydrogen has an energy-density-per-unit mass three times higher than traditional jet fuel.

Aeronautical engineers must work out how to bring the weight and cost of hydrogen down, while the best solution for storing the fuel on board also needs to be determined.

Today, liquid hydrogen storage is seen as the best solution with storing hydrogen as compressed gas presenting challenges with aircraft weight and volume requirements.

According to Airbus VP Glenn Llewellyn: “Cost-competitive green hydrogen and cross-industry partnerships are being considered as mandatory to bring zero emission flying to reality.”

Aviation H2 may be just what the industry needs to achieve that reality.

Source: This article has originally appeared on PV Magazine.