Nikola to be pilot buyer of Bosch’s hydrogen gasoline cell batteries
Dive Temporary:
- Bosch has began quantity manufacturing of hydrogen gasoline cell modules for business vans, the corporate mentioned final week.
- Electrical truck maker Nikola Corp would be the pilot buyer for the gasoline cell modules.
- Bosch is planning to take a position practically $2.8 billion in gasoline cell growth and manufacturing from 2021 to 2026.
Dive Perception:
Hydrogen-powered gasoline cells are a viable different energy supply for electrical business vans, based on the U.S. Division of Vitality. Totally-electric vans, then again, require a big, heavy battery with lengthy cost instances, making them much less perfect for business use, based on consulting agency McKinsey & Firm.
By 2030, Bosch expects one in 5 new vans weighing six tons or extra globally to characteristic a fuel-cell powertrain.
The primary gasoline cell modules produced by Bosch in Germany might be used for the Nikola Tre FCEV Class 8 truck. Bosch additionally plans to fabricate gasoline cell stacks in China and finally at its U.S. manufacturing unit in Anderson, South Carolina.
Gas cells mix hydrogen and oxygen to generate electrical energy, so electrical vans could be outfitted with a a lot smaller battery that gives extra energy throughout acceleration at the side of the gasoline stack. Further vitality is saved within the battery by way of regenerative braking, identical to in an electrical automotive.
In contrast to diesel-powered vans, hydrogen gasoline cell automobiles additionally produce zero tailpipe emissions. Water is the one byproduct of a fuel-cell automobile.
“A hydrogen engine can do every thing a diesel engine does, however on high of that, it’s carbon impartial. It additionally permits a quick and cost-effective entry into hydrogen-based mobility,” Bosch Mobility Chair Markus Heyn mentioned in a press release.
Nikola’s hydrogen gasoline cell Class 8 truck could have a max vary of 500 miles and produce 536 horsepower, based on the corporate. The gasoline cell modules within the Nikola Tre FCEV ship 200 kW of energy when mixed with a 164 kWh battery pack. The liquid hydrogen is saved onboard in pressurized tanks, and refilling the tanks takes about 20 minutes.
Nikola expects that North American deliveries of its Class 8 gasoline cell truck will start later this yr.
