Hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrains are expected to play a significant role in the transition of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) to zero emissions. This opportunity - and its targets - are recognised in the Automotive Council’s Fuel Cell Technology Roadmap, recently published by the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
The current UK market for HDVs (including trucks and buses) is approximately 40,000 per year, all of which are expected to switch to zero emissions in the next 15-20 years. Of this, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) could take between 25% to 50% of this market segment. With the average battery capacity for these systems being around 50kWh, this is a total future market requirement for the UK alone of 500MWh to 1GWh per year. There is significant potential to extend the market opportunity through export and into trains and off-road vehicles.
Funded by the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF), the NCC and Arcola Energy recently undertook a UK hydrogen supply chain capability assessment through a series of surveys.
The intent of the surveys was to inform a report highlighting the UK supply chain opportunity and the R&D requirements in this market segment. The report will also provide insights to the Advanced Propulsion Centre and Innovate UK on best-in-class technology targets and developments in the supply chain for future consideration.
As the UK's leading developer of FCEV powertrains, the survey used Arcola Energy’s technology platform as a baseline for current and upcoming technology requirements. Through the ATF project, the team identified a set of critical components within this platform which formed the basis of the surveys. These critical components were:
- High Power batteries
- Hydrogen storage
- Power electronics, motors and drives
- Thermal management, HVAC and auxiliaries
- Fuel cells
- Control systems, data and digital services
Thank you to everyone who completed the surveys – they are now closed, and the report will be published in the coming months.
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Hydrogen storage
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Power electronics, motors and drives
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Thermal management, HVAC and auxiliaries
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Fuel cells
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Control systems, data and digital services
