Bramble Energy secures £12m for hydrogen bus

Bramble Energy is lead partner of the Hydrogen Electric Integrated Drivetrain Initiative (HEIDI) which has received £6.3m funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre as part of the Automotive Transformation Fund. The £6.3m awarded by the government will be matched by industry to a total of £12.7m.

The UK-based consortium will develop the hydrogen-powered double-deck bus, with Bramble’s PCBFC tech alongside Aeristech’s high efficiency air compressor, and Equipmake’s motor power electronics and battery management system. The powertrain will be optimised through vehicle simulations carried out by Bath University.

Bramble Energy has been selected for the project due to its fuel cell design and manufacturing process. Using a patented-protected printed circuit board technology, it can create bespoke fuel cell stacks in a ‘matter of days at scale and low-cost’.

According to Bramble, its PCB technology eliminates the requirement for several complex and costly components found in a typical electrochemical stack, which simplifies the supply chain and does not require vast retooling for manufacture. The fuel cell stacks can be produced in almost any size and arrangement according to the end customer’s needs.