Hydrogen breakthrough for Bramble Energy

Cleantech and hydrogen fuel cell technology specialist Bramble Energy has made a hydrogen power breakthrough. The news comes after the company was awarded funding last year to develop technology for a hydrogen-powered double-decker.

The company has completed a project that should bring a viable net-zero transport solution that can be delivered at lower costs, and that can scale quickly.

As part of the Automotive Transformation Fund, a programme created to support large-scale industrialisation, Bramble Energy was awarded £1.8 million in September 2022 to develop an optimised fuel cell stack assembly with the capacity to produce up to 2,000 50 kW stacks/year. This has been accomplished, in less than two years, at the firm’s HQ and Hydrogen Innovation Hub in Crawley.

The completion of the SuRV project has seen Bramble Energy simplify the fuel cell stack assembly process through the design of its already trademarked Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell (PCBFC), which includes integrated membrane electrode assembly into unitised PCB modules (cells).

Bramble Energy secured funding last year to provide first-of-its-kind fuel cell technology for a new hydrogen-powered double-decker. The project, part of the Hydrogen Electric Integrated Drivetrain Initiative (HEIDI), involves partners including Equipmake, Aeristech and the University of Bath. It is supported by £6.3 million from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), matched by industry contributions to total £12.7 million.