Intelligent Energy (IE), a leading fuel cell manufacturer, has unveiled a H₂ fuel cell system that is smaller and more powerful than any other solution on the passenger car market – creating a breakthrough opportunity to unlock a global, zero-emission future for the sector.

Fuel cells have the potential to help overcome the challenges associated with battery electric vehicles (BEVs), namely a dependency on limited natural resources, electric grid capacity, battery charging time and vehicle range. Fuel cells can also be as cheap to manufacture as internal combustion engines and can be produced using recycled and recyclable materials.

Intelligent Energy's new IE-DRIVE™ single stack platform was recently unveiled in the UK as it powered an SUV provided by Changan Automobile.

The platform brings significant benefits when compared to other fuel cells developed by large automotive groups and their third party fuel cell suppliers, including:

• More power: It is capable of 157 kW gross electrical power, which is higher than any other passenger car single stack application currently available
• Smaller: Intelligent Energy's patented direct water injection technology means DRIVE's heat exchanger is up to 30% smaller than its competitors
• Simpler: The novel direct water injection system – which removes the need for a humidifier – allows the component count and bill of materials to be reduced
• Turnkey: It is a complete turnkey system in the shape of a traditional engine and is designed to meet the low bonnet requirements of passenger cars. It includes the stack, electronic control unit, heat exchanger and Balance of Plant
• Commercially-viable: Under full-scale, high-volume manufacturing conditions, Intelligent Energy predicts DRIVE will cost around $125/kW by the end of the decade, making it cheaper than BEV solutions and comparable to ICE.

Intelligent Energy is now ready to roll its technology out to the passenger car sector, in partnership with suitable car manufacturers.

David Woolhouse, Intelligent Energy's Chief Executive said, "With 25% of passenger cars expected to have H₂ fuel cell powertrains, this clean technology represents the future. As an independent and IATF-compliant tier 1 supplier business, I'm proud we have developed a breakthrough solution that can open up the market for passenger car manufacturers that need to package a more powerful system into their vehicles."