The US Energy Department has announced up to $35m in funding for advancing hydrogen technologies for fuel cell electric vehicles.
The funding pot is designed to accelerate innovation in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies by supporting research and development, early market deployments, and domestic manufacturing as part of the US government’s strategy to lower transport emissions and curb reliance on foreign oil imports.
The Energy Department also aims to develop collaborative consortia for fuel cell performance and durability and advanced hydrogen storage materials research to leverage the capabilities of national lab core teams.
The available funding includes hydrogen production, delivery, and storage research and development (R&D); demonstration of infrastructure component manufacturing, and support for Climate Action Champions deploying hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; consortia topics for fuel cell performance and durability and advanced hydrogen storage materials research; and cost and performance analysis for hydrogen production, storage, and fuel cells.
Fuel cells generated major headlines and excitement in 2015 as automakers delivered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) to customers in select locations around the world and unveiled new models and market introduction strategies. Commercial leases began in the U.S. and Japan in 2014 and 2015, and several automakers are now selling their commercial FCEVs in California and Japan.
As FCEVs become increasingly commercially available, the Energy Department is focused on advancements to enable hydrogen infrastructure including production, delivery, storage, and manufacturing, as well as continuing to reduce fuel cell cost and improve durability. This funding includes highly targeted and collaborative lab-led consortium projects in both fuel cells and hydrogen storage technologies.
The funding includes four general areas of interest, each with several subtopics:
- Research and Development
- Hydrogen Production R&D: High-Temperature Water Splitting compatible with renewable and sustainable energy sources
- Advanced Compression
- Advanced vacuum insulation for automotive applications
- Demonstration and Deployments
- Component Manufacturing and Standardization for hydrogen Infrastructure (e.g., hose/piping, dispenser/station technologies)
- Crosscutting: America’s Climate Action Champions
- Consortia Topics
- Fuel Cell – Performance and Durability (FC-PAD)
- Hydrogen Storage Materials – Advanced Research Consortium (HyMARC)
- Analysis
- Cost and Performance Analysis for Fuel Cells
- Cost and Performance Analysis for Hydrogen Storage
- Cost and Performance Analysis for Hydrogen Production and Delivery
More information, application requirements, and instructions can be found on the EERE Funding Opportunity Exchange website.
