Pure Hydrogen is revving up to top gear in 2022 as the Aussie
innovator looks to capitalise on the massive interest in the sector and
its growing technology.

Pure Hydrogen (ASX:PH2) is advancing its position as an Australian green-tech leader, building out the Australian hydrogen sector with further partnerships, hydrogen plants and pilot trials planned for the next 6 to 12 months.

As the company continues to drive growth across its three key revenue streams its become the largest shareholder in Aussie hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturer H2X Global Limited, with a 24% stake and option to double on the table.

H2X has entered a deal to establish a joint venture company with Advik Hi-Tech Pvt. Ltd. The companies will together build hydrogen-powered fuel cells, generators, and vehicles for use in India.

The ideal growth market

Pure Hydrogen Managing Director Scott Brown said the partnership between H2X and Advik will catapult the company into India but also reduce costs.

“We are able to take advantage of costs, the fact that labour in India is very cheap,” he said.

“H2X has been a tremendous investment and we are bullish on its outcome as they look to have operations in other countries as well.”

Brown said Pure Hydrogen is also negotiating several deals in India with Advik.

“We are likely to set up our own joint venture with Advik to exploit hydrogen opportunities within the Indian market,” he said.

You beaut, Warrego ute

H2X was one of only a select few companies invited to share their innovations at the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow last year.

The company is developing the same revolutionary technology as Tesla rival Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN).

Its hydrogen powered Warrego ute is due to be launched in the next quarter, with already lots of demand for the green powered vehicle.

“There is a lot of demand for the Warrego in Europe because of the subsidies,” Brown said.

The company has also launched a hydrogen fuel cell powered bus, which is taking orders now.

H2X was handpicked by the Sarawak State government in Malaysia to help it build the region into a major hydrogen hub through production and delivery of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Supplier and reseller

Furthermore, Pure Hydrogen has signed a two-part deal with specialist vehicle importer and distributor BLK auto that will see it become a hydrogen supplier and reseller of hydrogen powered buses.

“We are also looking to do a trial in the garbage truck space with a major waste company within the next six months,” Brown said.

Power H2 Units

Pure Hydrogen and H2X have launched a range of hydrogen fuel cell power generation units that can be used for back-up power or continuous electricity supply.

The Power H2 units, which can generate electricity without emissions by using hydrogen come in standard 5kw, 20kw, 50kw and 100kw capacities and include a small hydrogen storage tank.

The joint venture between H2X and Advik is targeting the sale of 10000 units in 5 years at around AU$28,000 per unit.

“The Power H2 units generate a lot of interest in Australia and globally,” Brown said.

“We are targeting 10,000 units and think that’s achievable given the range of activities and people talking about it.

Brown said the Power H2 units dovetails into the strategic plan for Pure Hydrogen.

“Once you sell the generator you also need hydrogen to run that generator,” he said.

“We can sell a package deal for not only the generator but the hydrogen that goes with it and so are cementing a long-term relationship with the customer.”

He said anyone who has solar, wind or another renewable energy will need a backup like Power H2.

“When the wind isn’t blowing or the sun is not shining, they need to still have a power source,” he said.

“The Power H2 units are a way of making a clean energy investment really work,” he said.

Brown said the Power H2 units are going through certification and once that’s done will be installed with its first Australian customers.

“We have other customers keen on that product, so I expect more orders and units to be manufactured,” he said.

Integrated clean energy company

Pure Hydrogen is working to advance its three separate business arms including H2X and PureX, hydrogen production and natural gas.

“We are trying to create an integrated clean energy company and we think we are unique on the ASX with nothing quite like us having three separate arms that all work together,” Brown said.

“In their own right each could be billion-dollar businesses,” he said.

He said H2X and PureX concentrate on creating fuel cell businesses such as the Warrego, trucks, and buses.

“The technology is the same in all those vehicles so components which replicated and then by having scaled we can get the price point down,” he said.

Hydrogen supply

Pure Hydrogen is researching three different ways of making hydrogen including out of waste, methane and from water.

“All of those methods will have different applications and we are looking at markets in Australia but also internationally including Africa and with the recent Advik deal India and other places in Asia,” Brown said.

“We can make a very big business just out of hydrogen supply.”

Pure Hydrogen has partnered with CAC H₂  to establish Emerald Hydrogen, a plant at Caboolture in Queensland.

“We are looking to partner with companies who have expertise so we can leverage that expertise,” Brown said.

He is confident the plant will be operational within 12 months.

“The plant is progressing well to date, and we have detailed design and are going through approval process,” he said.

The company is also looking to establish a pilot plant for turquoise hydrogen (made from methane) later this year and work going on in the green hydrogen area.

“These are larger scale projects which will take more time but Project Jupiter for example at Gladstone is going well.”

Project Jupiter initially targeted production of 36,000 tonnes increasing to more than 100,000 tonnes per year and is expected to be online in 2025.

Natural Gas

Pure Hydrogen also has significant natural gas resources in its gas fields including Serowe in Botswana and our other fields.

“We can use those gas resources to convert hydrogen and graphene to get superior returns, so all those different arms have great opportunities,” he said.

Brown said hydrogen will be a complete game changer for the Australian and global energy markets.

“We are very bullish on our outlook,” he added.

“There’s quite a lot of activity that is going to be happening for us over the next 12 months.”

Source: This article has originally appeared on Stockhead

Interest in H2X Global’s ground-breaking Warrego ute is growing with over 250 order-interests received from Australia and countries such as the Netherlands, Germany and Malaysia.

The vehicle, which will be officially launched early next year on the Gold Coast, features a 750km driving range courtesy of the company’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid technology and will be built in Gippsland, Victoria.

H2X chief executive Brendan Norman said that while the number of order interests had exceeded the company’s expectations, he was unsurprised given hydrogen’s growing stature as the fuel of the future.

“One of the first companies to buy the ute was green energy solutions and hardware provider, Veida,” he added.

“Its director Haim Ptasznik explained that with hydrogen offering parity with diesel on a kWh-to-kWh basis, the Warrego was the ‘go to’ vehicle that green energy pioneers and early adopters had been waiting for.”

Ptasznik noted that Veida worked with its clients to create alternative, green energy solutions and that H2X enabled his company to be the first to integrate hydrogen vehicles and their powertrains into its solutions.

The growing popularity of the Warrego, which is the first of many hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that H2X is developing, is particularly welcome ahead of the company’s planned listing on a major stock exchange and push into new markets to establish itself as a global premium hydrogen vehicle manufacturer.

Warrego ute

The basic Warrego ute combines a 200kW motor, a 66kW hydrogen fuel cell and 60kW energy storage system to deliver a range of up to 750km on a mix of highway and city roads while offering quick refuelling times of between three to five minutes.

It is capable of carrying up to 1,000kg in the tray and towing up to 2,500kg and there are options such a larger 90kW hydrogen fuel cell and bigger 100kW energy storage system to improve performance.

Source: This article has originally appeared on Stockhead

H2X Global has been handpicked by the Sarawak State government in Malaysia to help it build the region into a major hydrogen hub through the production and delivery of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

State-owned Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), through its wholly owned subsidiary SEDC Energy, has signed an MOU to form a joint venture with H2X Global for the manufacturing, assembly and development of a range of strategic transport projects.

H2X Global revealed today that the JV will immediately begin with the assembly of relevant vehicles – from its trademark Warrego Pick up to City Buses and H2x Hydrogen Powered Generators, taking advantage of the hydrogen distribution network already set-up within Sarawak State.

H2X Global founder and CEO Brendan Norman said Sarawak was already well ahead of most states in the region and was well advanced in the establishment of long-term hydrogen production for both domestic and export use.

“It is likely that Sarawak will not only produce vehicles for its own use but will become a major supplier to other States and countries in the region,” he said.

Establishing South East Asia’s hydrogen epicentre

SEDC Energy has developed a strategic blueprint for Sarawak to become a hub for the emerging ASEAN hydrogen energy market.

The government first introduced hydrogen-powered vehicles in the state in 2019.

This new partnership will see H2X supply and assemble additional vehicles, including in excess of 50 buses in the coming 18 months, to meet growing demand.

SEDC Energy CEO Robert Hardin said Sarawak had a unique opportunity to become a leader in the development of renewable energy transport.

“We have been using hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles for a few years now as Sarawak was an early adopter, and now we are adding projects such as hydrogen production to supply our neighbours, who are now also embracing hydrogen and other forms of renewable energy.

“H2X is a global leader in fuel cell technology, and we believe the joint venture will bring significant economic and environmental benefits to Sarawak and the Sarawak Southern Region Development for Malaysia and the ASEAN region.”

H2X Global is the company behind Australia’s first hydrogen fuel cell electric ute, which attracted more than $50m of pre-reservations for the vehicle, set to be delivered to customers in 2022.

That success led the company to expand its product offering through the development of a range of additional vehicles, including heavy-platform vehicles. 

As a headline participant, the company will be one of a select few innovative companies leading the way in renewable technologies that will share their technological breakthroughs with leaders at the conference, also known as the COP26 summit, in Glasgow, Scotland.

H2X says the invitation is a validation that the company is a global leader in technological advancements that are tackling climate change.

The company has developed its own highly efficient hydrogen fuel cell technology and hydrogen power trains for vehicles and machinery.

This tech will be used in its Warrego Ute, a fuel cell electric utility vehicle set to be manufactured in Gippsland, Victoria, which has already drawn more than $50m in pre-orders.

“The global hydrogen market is accelerating with governments around the world committing billions of dollars in incentives to accelerate the transition to renewable energy and meet their net zero emissions targets,” chief executive Brendan Norman said.

“Hydrogen fuel cells have become a key focus for many given the technology advancements that have enabled hydrogen FCEVs to refuel more quickly and travel longer distances.

“H2X is pushing into new markets, with a series of products due for release in the coming months that will show new ways of working with hydrogen and bringing clean energy to many different applications in cities.”

H2X Fuel Cell Tech

The company’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell Hybrid technology is designed to drastically reduce refuelling time and increase driving range and hydrogen efficiency.

Its modular platform allows the hybrid energy system and fuel cell to be customised to maximise efficiency and performance according to the user.

Besides the Warrego ute, development has also started on a range of additional vehicles, including heavy-platform vehicles.

H2X recently reached an agreement with the Gippsland Circular Economy Precinct to manufacture hydrogen fuel cells, electrolysers, hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles, and a range of hydrogen power units including generators and emergency power supplies in the region.

It also formed a strategic partnership with hydrogen developer Pure Hydrogen (ASX:PH2).

Source: This article has originally appeared on Stockhead

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.