EQ Supplement on EVs & Hydrogen Jan 2022 by EQ Int'l Solar Media Group

Featured

TESLA RECALLS ALMOST HALF A MILLION ELECTRIC CARS OVER SAFETY ISSUES Tesla Inc is recalling more than 475,000 of its Model 3 and Model S electric cars to address rearview camera and trunk issues that increase the risk of crashing, the U.S. road safety regulator said. Tesla shares fell as much as 3% in the morning but rebounded and were last trading slightly higher.

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

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esla shares fell as much as 3% in the morning but rebounded and were last trading slightly higher around $1,088.76. The federal regulator has been discussing another camera issue with the automaker, while probing the electric vehicle manufacturer’s driver assistant system and other issues. The model years affected in the recall range from 2014 to 2021, and the total number of recalled vehicles is almost equivalent to the half a million vehicles Tesla delivered last year. The U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer is recalling 356,309 2017-2020 Model 3 vehicles to address rearview camera issues and 119,009 Model S vehicles due to front hood problems, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said. Tesla could not be reached for comment. For Model 3 sedans, “the rearview camera cable harness may be damaged by the opening and closing of the trunk lid, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying,” the NHTSA said. Tesla identified 2,301 warranty claims and 601 field reports regarding the issue for U.S. vehicles.

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For Model S vehicles, front hood latch problems may lead a trunk to open “without warning and obstruct the driver’s visibility, increasing the risk of a crash,” Tesla said. Tesla said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries or deaths related to the issues cited in the recall of Model 3 and Model S cars, the NHTSA said. This month, the NHTSA said it was discussing with Tesla over sideview camera issues in some vehicles. CNBC had reported that Tesla was replacing defective repeater cameras in the front fenders some U.S.-made vehicles without recalling the parts.

The NHTSA has been investigating 580,000 Tesla vehicles over the automaker’s decision to allow games to be played on car screens while they are in motion. Tesla has subsequently agreed to stop allowing video games to be played on vehicle screens while its cars are moving, according to the NHTSA. Under pressure from NHTSA, Tesla in February agreed to recall 135,000 vehicles with touch-screen displays that could fail and raise the risk of a crash. In August, the NHTSA opened a formal safety probe into Tesla Inc’s driver assistance system Autopilot after a series of crashes involving Tesla models and emergency vehicles. Source: indianexpress

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Featured PROPOSAL TO ALLOW THREE DECK TRANSPORT TO MOVE TWO WHEELERS MOOTED BY GOVT The road transport ministry said a new rule will be inserted regarding safety requirements viz., braking, power to weight ratio, lighting, manoeuvrability etc. for Road Trains. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has proposed to allow rigid vehicles and trailers to have maximum of three decks in order to transport two-wheelers, with the load body not projecting over the driver’s cabin.

he proposal on three deck rigid vehicles and trailers allows enhancement of the carriage capacity of two-wheeler by 4050 percent. This Prozac has been included in the draft after examining the issue of static stability tests and dynamic stability of the three deck vehicles, a ministry statement said. According to the safety requirements for Road Trains, Rule 93 of CMVT provides for the dimension of motor vehicles. It defines Road trains as motor vehicles with limiting dimensions of 25.25 meters (L), 2.6 meters (W) and 4.5 meters (H). The load taking capacity of road trains is limited at 55 Tonnes. The proposal states that on and from the 1st day of March, 2022, the procedure for type approval and certification of Road Train, shall be in accordance with Automotive Industry Standard (AIS)-113.

Ministry has also notified Revision of Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. It also issued a new standard AIS for Electric Power Train and battery in respect of two & three wheelers and Quadricycles. This notification covers the aspect of battery safety, which is interlinked with the overall safety of Electric Vehicles (EVs). The Ministry has invited suggestions from concerned stakeholders within a period of thirty days regarding the proposals. Source: livemint

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

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OLA ELECTRIC TO HAVE 4,000 EV CHARGING POINTS IN 2022: CEO BHAVISH AGGARWAL As part of its ambitious charging infrastructure goal, Ola Electric will install more than 4,000 charging points for its electric scooters across cities in next year.

n a tweet, Bhavish Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Ola, said that Hypercharger roll out has begun across cities. “At key BPCL pumps as well as residential complexes. 4000+ points up through next year. We’re installing across India and will make them operational in 6-8 weeks. Will be free for use till end June 22 for all customers,” he said in a tweet

Ola has expanded into advanced two-wheeler electric vehicles manufacturing at its Future factory. It has already begun deliveries of its e-scooters — Ola S1 and S1 Pro — albeit delayed a bit. Ola in April unveiled the ‘Hypercharger Network’, a charging network for its upcoming two-wheeler products starting with the Ola Scooter to be launched in India in the coming months. According to the company, the charging network will be the widest and densest electric two-wheeler charging network in the world, with more than 100,000 charging points across 400 cities. In the first year alone, the company is setting up over 5,000 charging points across 100 cities in India, the company had said in a statement. With this network, the company’s upcoming Ola Scooter can be charged 50 per cent in just 18 minutes for a 75 km range. “By creating the world’s largest and densest two-wheeler charging network, we will dramatically accelerate the customer adoption of electric vehicles and rapidly move the industry to electric,” according to Aggarwal. Source: IANS

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Featured

E-VEHICLES WILL BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR THE COURIER AND LOGISTICS SECTOR Fuel rates directly affect sectors such as courier and logistics as fuel accounts for a significant share of their costs. In this situation, the growing prevalence of electric vehicles is raising a great deal of hope. The logistics sector is relying heavily upon E-vehicles and it will be a game-changer for the whole industry, believes Ajay Mokariya, Managing Director, Shree Maruti Courier Services Pvt. Ltd.

t is estimated that by the year 2030, 30-50 percent of the country’s vehicles will be converted to electric vehicles. Commercial use of electric vehicles has always been welcomed by the logistics sector. Large logistics companies are making active efforts to build a green supply chain in the next 5-10 years. More and more companies are adding electric vehicles to make transportation pollution-free. The logistics sector will be at the forefront of adopting electric vehicles.

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

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“The unprecedented boom in the E-commerce business over the last few years has created huge opportunities for the logistics sector. The growing popularity of E-retailers has led to radical changes in the operations of the logistics sector. India’s E-commerce market was USD 46.2 billion in the year 2020, which is expected to grow to USD 111.40 billion by 2025. The concept of hyperlocal delivery is also gaining popularity in the industry. The hyperlocal delivery business involves collecting the products from the seller and delivering the same directly to the customer’s premises. This business will be a new growth engine for the logistics sector,” said Mokariya.

In the last one or two decades, significant populations of the world have settled in cities. That is why timely and accurate delivery of their necessities has become a major challenge for courier and logistics companies. About 80 percent of the population in the USA and Europe live in cities. Delivery to local people has also increased in the face of a growing population in urban areas, hence the need for radical changes in existing infrastructure. The government is also making serious efforts for sustainable transport. Union Minister for Roads and Transport Shri Nitin Gadkari has been very active in maximizing the use of E-vehicles to reduce carbon footprints. The central government has also proposed to impose a green tax on old vehicles running on petrol/diesel. Smart City needs to set up recharge stations for electric vehicles. There should be massive investments in terms of the number of these stations, installation in a particular place, and capacity. From the perspective of both environment and energy, electric vehicles should be a priority for the current industries but there are some challenges to their efficiency. The battery energy density used in these vehicles is lower than the average of existing petrol-diesel vehicles. The time it takes to recharge this type of battery is very long. In addition, there are not enough electric battery charging points in public places and in private places. The existing freight delivery system in densely populated cities is causing many problems for logistics companies such as traffic on main roads, air, and noise pollution, fuel wastage, declining road safety, narrow roads, narrow roads, inadequate parking facilities, breathing difficulties due to polluted air, etc. Therefore, the logistics industry needs to focus more on electric vehicles with pollution-free technology. Eco-friendly E-vehicles will make delivery easier and provide better service to customers. This will also solve some of the other complementary problems facing the industry. Most vehicles in urban transport travel at low driving speeds and electric vehicles are the most efficient at low speeds. Also, the routes used for delivery in urban areas are almost the same every second or third day, so the necessary arrangements can be made to recharge or replace the batteries of electric vehicles. Many cities are offering free parking space to electric vehicles. This saves time and less hassle for E-vehicles for the delivery of goods as compared to conventional vehicles. Air pollution from fuels such as petrol and diesel costs the global economy 2.9 trillion a year. According to a recent study, 46 cities in India were among the 100 most polluted cities in the world by the year 2020. We are also ahead of China, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in terms of the number of polluted cities. The Government of India is moving ahead with the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) launched in January 2019. The NCAP aims to reduce the PM2.5 level to 20 to 30 percent in 122 cities selected from the 2017 baseline by the year 2024. Electric vehicles are likely to make a significant contribution to reducing pollution in urban areas. Source: theprint

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Business & Finance

EARTH ENERGY LOOKS TO INVEST RS 100 CRORE IN TWO YEARS AS EV DEMAND RISES EV maker Earth Energy, which is set to commence deliveries of its Glyde range of e-scooters from early next month, is looking to invest around Rs 100 crore in the next two years as the electric vehicle (EV) demand is going up exponentially going forward, its founder CEO Rushii Senghani has said.

esides, the city-based automotive startup, which has already seen an investment of USD 2.5 million since 2017, plans to have four vehicle models — two scooters, one motorcycle and a commercial vehicle — in its product portfolio by 2024, he said. The locally-manufactured Glyde range comes in two options — a low-speed Glyde SX with a top speed of 25 kmph, and a high-speed Glyde SX+, which can go up to 90 kmph, with the former not requiring a driving licence or registration to ply on roads in the country. “We have already invested around 2.5 million in the company with some Tier-1 and Tier-2 OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) on our board, who have not only infused capital but have also invested their expertise in the company. We are looking to invest further around Rs 100 crore or so in two years,” Senghani told PTI.

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BAJAJ AUTO SETS UP RS 300 CRORE EV MANUFACTURING FACILITY IN PUNE He said that the investment will go into ramping up production, technology and R&D (research and development), among others, adding that “funds will be raised through institutional as well as strategic investors besides PE (private equity ) players”. Emphasising that the company is looking to grow in a sustainable way, Senghani said, “We believe in a pull-based demand model rather than the push-based demand model.” In the next three years, Earth Energy is expecting four products in its product range, including a motorcycle and a commercial vehicle (CV), with the bike expected to be launched in 2022, he said.

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You have to do everything one by one and clutter the market. So, scooter will come now, motorcycle will come in 2022 and CV later, in the next two years,” Senghani stated. He also said that the production capacity will be ramped up to 3,500 units per month from January-February next year for scooters and once the motorcycle is launched, an additional 1,000 units per month could be added further. The company has appointed distributors across 10 Indian states, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Earth Energy said its vehicles are compliant with all public charging stations being set up by both government and private players. The achievement of 98 per cent localisation in manufacturing and spares considerably brings down the cost of maintenance as well as availability of spare parts, he said. He added that this makes Earth Energy an attractive proposition for the modern commuter. Source: PTI

Bajaj Auto announced an investment of Rs 300 crore as it commenced work at its brand-new unit at Akurdi, Pune, for manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs). The unit, which is spread over an area of half a million square feet, will employ nearly 800 people and have a production capacity of 500,000 EVs a year. “In 2001, Bajaj 2.0 took off on the roaring Pulsar. In 2021, Bajaj 3.0 has arrived on the charming Chetak. Going forward, for the Bajaj portfolio, except for implementing one state-of-the-art ICE platform that is currently under development, all our R&D resources are now laser focused on creating EV solutions for the future. This alignment reflects our belief that light EVs for sustainable urban mobility is an idea whose time may finally have come,” Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, Bajaj Auto, said.

kurdi is the site of the original Chetak scooter factory that made Bajaj Auto a household name in India. The first vehicle from the unit is expected to roll out by June 2022. The investments made by Bajaj will be supplemented by a number of vendors, who will invest a further Rs 250 crore, the company said. Of late, several automakers in India, including Bajaj, have approved incorporation of wholly owned subsidiaries to venture into manufacturing of electric and hybrid vehicles. Bajaj’s rivals Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motors, though slowly, are making steady progress to have a stable EV business alongside their traditional IC engine products. Hero said its EV project is going on as per plans, and the Chittoor manufacturing facility in Andhra Pradesh is gearing up to produce the EVs. The teams at Hero are focused on working across the entire EV eco-system, such as battery technology and battery management systems, powertrain, telematics, analytics & diagnostics and charging infrastructure, according to a statement by the company. The development of EV is happening under Hero’s emerging mobility business unit (EMBU), which is set for the launch of the first EV product by March 2022. On the other hand, TVS, in September, bought 80 per cent in EGO Movement, a Swiss e-bike company, for $17.9 million to expand its presence in developed markets, including Europe. The group has tied up with BMW Motorrad to co-develop new platforms and future technologies. Bajaj currently produces around 1,000 units of the Chetak EV scooter a month. Source: business-standard

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Business & Finance

MOST AFFORDABLE ELECTRIC

CARS IN INDIA LOOKING FOR A BRAND-NEW EV FOR THE NEW YEAR? THESE 4 ELECTRIC FOUR-WHEELERS ARE YOUR MOST AFFORDABLE CHOICES

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

n today’s time, EVs are gaining a lot of traction in terms of popularity for various reasons. For some, it is the instant torque, for a few, it is the quite drive and for others it is the savings they make by opting for a non-petrol vehicle. Although the market for electric two-wheelers is surging, the four-wheeler EV market is still in its growing stage, due to this currently in the country we only have a small few EV options that one could go for. Today we look towards discussing four of the most affordable fourwheeled EVs in our market.

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Tata Tigor EV: ₹11.99 Lakhs Ex-showroom This is the latest addition to the EVs in our market. Unlike the other cars in this list, the Tigor Ziptron is a compact sedan. This car comes equipped with a 26 kWh battery that provides the driver with a range of 306 kms per charge and in turn powers an electric motor with an output of 74 bhp and 170 Nm of torque. The car takes eight and a half hours to charge to 80 percent using a 15-ampere wall adapter, however will charge to 80 percent within an hour if a DC fast charger is used.

MG ZS EV: ₹20.99 Lakhs Ex-showroom MG’s only EV in the country, the ZS EV was given a small update in the year 2021 and now goes head-to-head with the Hyundai Kona in terms of performance specifications. The car is now powered by a 44-kWh battery with an output of 142 bhp and 353 Nm of torque. The car provides a range of 419 Kms per charge. The ZS EV can reach a full charge using a regular 15 ampere wall socket within 17 to 18 hours, however it also has the ability to fast charge from 0 to 80 percent within 50 minutes, although this can currently only be done at an MG dealership using their fast-charging facility.

Tata Nexon EV: ₹13.99 Lakhs Ex-showroom It may not be a direct competitor in terms of pricing and performance to the first two EVs, however, the Nexon EV is currently the best-selling electric four-wheeler in the Indian market. The Nexon is equipped with a 30.2 kWh battery that provides a range of 312 kms per charge and powers an electric motor with an output of 127 bhp and 245 Nm of torque. The battery can be charged up to 80 percent in eight hours using a regular 15-ampere wall socket, or within just an hour if one uses the DC fast charging option.

Hyundai Kona Electric: ₹23.79 Lakhs Ex-showroom When it comes to electric SUVs, the Kona was the first one to be launched in the Indian market. When we speak of specifications, however, the Kona does pretty well. The 39.2 kWh battery enables the Kona to have a milage of 452 kms per charge with performance specs of 134 bhp of power with 395 Nm of torque. When charging the Kona, it could be left overnight when using a regular wall socket or could also be fast-charged to 80 percent within an hour. The Kona is the most expensive EV on this list with a starting price of 23.79 Lakhs. www.EQMagPro.com

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Policy & Regulation

MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT URGES HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO SUPPORT STATE EV POLICY “The state’s comprehensive EV Policy has been developed to fortify Maharashtra’s position as the leading destination for EV manufacturing and utilization.

ith standard operating procedures (SOPs), infrastructure mandates, and incentivization, we look forward to the widespread acceptance of EV’s in the state,” state Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray said after a meeting with Chalet Hotels. The Maharashtra government on Monday urged the hospitality industry to support the state’s EV Policy that aims to convert 15 per cent of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) fleet into electric vehicles by 2025. “The state’s comprehensive EV Policy has been developed to fortify Maharashtra’s position as the leading destination for EV manufacturing and utilisation. With standard operating procedures (SOPs), infrastructure mandates, and incentivization, we look forward to the to the widespread acceptance of EV’s in the state,” state Tourism and Environment Minister Aaditya Uddhav Thackeray said after a meeting with Chalet Hotels NSE 1.72 %.

The aggressive implementation of the Policy is critical and cannot be fully successful without support from the private sector, the minister said in a statement. The minister met with Chalet Hotels which has committed to convert 100 per cent of its vehicular fleet to EVs by 2025, along with setting up of EV charging stations, across its portfolio hotels and commercial office spaces. “Chalet Hotels has done some good work, and I encourage more corporates from hospitality as well as other industries to come forward with necessary interventions,” Thackeray added. The primary objective of Maharashtra EV Policy 2021, which came into effect on July 23, is to accelerate the adoption of BEVs in the state so that they contribute to 10 per cent of new vehicles registrations by 2025. “The hospitality sector has a history of building environmental awareness amongst guests, whether through encouraging linen reuse, water recycling or saving, amongst others. Hoteliers are today, in a unique position to stand out in an untapped market of EV’s by allowing guests to experience and potentially convert to them.

“We look forward to ably supporting with the Maharashtra government on further initiatives in the larger sustainability framework,” Chalet Hotels Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Sethi added. Source: PTI

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ADVENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALLER PLAYERS, NEW ENTRANTS, START-UPS: REPORT

It also said the valuations of pure EV businesses are driven by the expected pace of electrification in the segment as well as the competitive landscape in the EV segment.

he advent of electric vehicles (EVs) is causing disruptions for incumbents, while creating big opportunities for smaller players, new entrants and startups alike, according to a report. It also said the valuations of pure EV businesses are driven by the expected pace of electrification in the segment as well as the competitive landscape in the EV segment. In the Indian context, the speed of electrification can differ substantially across segments, brokerage firm Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd (MOFSL) said in its report on. It noted that the passenger vehicle segment is seeing the fastest shift to EVs in the developed markets, resulting in much higher valuations for pure e-PV players. The report added that commercial vehicles are expected to witness slower electrification in medium and heavy CVs, but light commercial vehicles are expected to see faster electrification — resulting in relatively lower valuations compared to e-PV original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). MOFSL estimates that EV penetration in the two-wheeler segment at around 15 per cent by FY27E, from around one per cent in FY21, driven by around 35 per cent penetration in the scooter segment as against around three per cent in FY21. This will be supported by high subsidies from the government, it said. According to the report, the lowest electrification in PVs is expected due to the lack of the FAME-2 subsidy for personal use and the need for extensive charging infrastructure. It stated that India is still in the early stages of electrification across segments and there has been a de-rating of some stocks in the 2W space due to the risk of electrification. Markets have also rewarded companies with either tangible progress on EVs or with the likelihood of a fundraiser in the EV business, the report added. Value discovery from other OEMs making a foray into the EV space is yet to be seen. However, the EV business for these OEMs is at different stages of evolution in a nascent market, it added.

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In two-wheelers, in the base case, Motilal Oswal values the EV businesses of incumbent OEMs at 2x FY27E EV/sales; while in commercial vehicles (CVs), in the base case, the report values the EV businesses of incumbent OEMs at 3x FY27E EV/sales. The brokerage firm said it believes that EVs will disrupt the ICE (internal combustion engine) segment rather than expand the underlying market and, therefore, value migration is expected from ICEs to EVs. Thus, the incumbent OEMs would see the loss in value in the existing ICE business as electrification catches up. Net value accretion could occur from the EV disruption for the incumbent OEMs from an increase in segmental market share and/or subsegment expansion due to inter-segmental changes, according to the report. In two-wheelers, the scooter segment is the most vulnerable to electrification as around 35 per cent EV penetration is expected by FY27E, it said. The report added that in the domestic three-wheeler segment, it estimates EV penetration of around 19 per cent by FY27E. In CVs, the brokerage firm said it expects buses (around 23 per cent EVs by FY27E) and light commercial vehicles (around 18 per cent) to see reasonable EV penetration by FY27E. According to the report, globally, pure EV OEMs are richly valued, driven by the expectation of rapid value migration from ICEs to EVs across segments. Even in India, the recent fundraisings in the EV segment have been at rich valuations for businesses that are at their nascent stage of evolution, it stated. Source: newindianexpress

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Featured

UPCOMING ELECTRIC VEHICLE LAUNCHES TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2022 While 2021 saw most brands test the electrified waters with luke-warm SUVs on both ends of the price spectrum, 2022 is set to witness more brazen entries, making for a more diverse and wholesome range of EVs. India’s electric infrastructure, while far from ready, appears to be steadily improving, but India is still far away from its goal of EVs reaching 30% market penetration by 2030.

However, skyrocketing fuel prices and a fresh set of subsidies have made EVs more appealing than ever. Here are the EVs coming to India in 2022:

MERCEDES-BENZ EQS

The EQS is, simply put, the S-Class of electric mobility. In fact, the EQS is the car that will eventually replace the formidable S-Class. And now that it’s made its international debut, it’s coming to India. Packed with futuristic technology, it features an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) which uses a combination of ultrasound, radar and camera sensors to offer a highly advanced semi-autonomous driving experience. It’s also one of the most aerodynamic designs out there with a drag coefficient of 0.20, which enhances its range and performance. Built on Merc’s first dedicated EV platform, it comes with a 107.8 kWh battery which, depending on which variant you’re driving, provides anywhere between 334hp to 538hp of power. AMG and Maybach versions are expected to follow, and be much more powerful. Chief among its interior highlights is Merc’s patented “Hyperscreen” – a 56-inch dashboard-wide single-screen setup that features Merc’s latest MBUX system. The interiors offer more space and utility than a presentday S-Class, which means the EQS is all set to surpass what is often considered the greatest car in the world.

Price: Rs 1.75 crore (estimated) | Tentative launch date: Early 2022

TESLA MODEL 3 AND MODEL Y Arguably the most anticipated EVs of the year, Tesla is all set to make its Indian debut with two of its most affordable cars – the Model 3 and the Model Y. With camouflaged versions of the two cars having been spotted doing test runs, and a total of four models having been registered by state transport departments, we’re likely to get both models in single and dual-motor iterations. While the single-motor version promises to be the most affordable one, the dual-motor ‘Performance’ version provides supercar acceleration, making it one of the fastest EVs in the country, south of the Audi etron GT. The Model 3 features a 50kWh battery which has a claimed range of 421km. In AWD configuration, the range, thanks to a larger battery, goes all the way up to 568km. The Model Y is almost identical to the Model 3, except it is taller, seats seven, and features a dual-motor AWD setup as standard. While Elon Musk is batting for more relaxed EV policies in the country, fans of Tesla can’t wait to see the cars on the road, CBUs or otherwise. Price: Rs 60-80 lakh (estimated) Tentative launch date: September 2022

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VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE Volvo’s first all-electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge marks a new chapter in the storied Swedish brand’s history. With the brand having announced its plans to go all-electric by 2030, the XC40 Recharge will be followed by one EV launch in India per year. Its critically acclaimed design makes it the ideal mascot to debut the brand’s EV technology, even though it isn’t based on a pure EV platform. The XC40 Recharge shares its underpinnings with its petrol-powered counterpart, and makes a potent 402 bhp through its 78 kWh battery pack and according to the brand, is good for roughly 400km. Price: Rs 50 lakh (estimated)

HYUNDAI IONIQ 5

Tentative launch date: End of Jan 2022

Hyundai Ioniq is to be the first of six EVs that Hyundai Motors plans to launch in India by 2028. The brand managed to gauge consumer interest by introducing the all-electric Kona back in 2019, whose face lifted version also arrives next year. With the Ionia 5 however, it’ll bring-in a more premium EV offering, once again brought-in as a CBU. Hyundai is investing Rs 4000 crore to expand its EV line-up, and its first offering , the Ioniq, will feature two battery options : a 72.6 kWh battery and a smaller 58kWh battery. It’ll also feature 800V battery technology allowing for fast charging, that’ll charge the battery from 10 t0 80% under 20 minutes. Power levels are also very un-Hyundai at 302 bhp with 605 Nm of torque – more than what most hot hatches in the country offer. This is because the Ioniq sub-brand will feature all of Hyundai’s future EVs. As a result the cars will look and feel very different from what we’re accustomed to from the brand.

AUDI Q4 E-TRON Audi is already leading the charge when it comes to EVs. In a single year, the brand has launched 5 electric vehicles, two of which are high-performance sedans. Now it’s time for them to introduce another SUV and fatten-up their EV portfolio with the Q4 e-tron. Unlike their EVs so far, this one looks properly unconventional and will go up against the likes of the Volvo XC40 Recharge as a midsize luxury SUV (although it’s higher up in the luxury order). The Q4 e-tron will be available with both AWD and RWD options, with power levels ranging between 179hp to 299hp. Price: Rs 75 lakh (estimated) Tentative launch date: Mid-to-late 2022

Price: Rs 25-30 lakh (estimated) Tentative launch date: Mid 2022

Source: moneycontrol

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EV Charging THE EV REVOLUTION’S NEXT BIG ROADBLOCK: ACCESS TO CHARGERS Can the new bipartisan infrastructure law fix it? Electric vehicles are set to play a critical role in our clean energy future, but in order for everyone to reap the benefits of EVs, they’ll need access to chargers. While the Build Back Better bill suffered a major setback over the weekend that could mean significantly less funding for the transition to electric vehicles, there’s still hope that the bipartisan infrastructure law passed in November could bring EV charging infrastructure to places that have been left out until now. That could make it easier for drivers from marginalized communities to switch to electric vehicles, while also cleaning up the air in their neighborhoods. The way charging stations are spread out now is neither equitable nor convenient for many low-income communities and neighborhoods of color, experts tell The Verge. Across the country, the places with the most access to chargers tend to be wealthier and whiter. That’s something the Biden administration could go a long way toward remedying, experts say, as long as it heeds advice that comes directly from those communities. Otherwise, existing disparities could get worse as policymakers hasten efforts to transition to electric vehicles. “There’s probably not a city that you could look at and say that there is a proliferation of charging infrastructure in these underrepresented communities because the strategy was: let’s place charging infrastructure where EV vehicle registration is,” says Terry Travis, managing partner and co-founder of EVNoire, a consulting group that works toward more diversity and equity in the industry. The profile of an average EV driver, Travis says, is still a white guy who lives in the suburbs.

With the price tag for an EV expected to become comparable with gas-powered cars this decade, that could soon change. After EV costs come down, access to charging will be the next biggest hurdle when it comes to replacing gas-powered cars. Today, many EV owners choose to charge up at home in a garage or driveway, but as EV adoption expands beyond individual homeowners to those who rent or live in apartment buildings, public charging infrastructure will become more important. 16

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There are only around 46,000 public charging stations across the country, and very few of them are fast charging stations that can juice up cars in under an hour. The country will need more than 100,000 fast charging stations by the end of the decade, according to one analysis. In California, which leads the nation in EV adoption, there’s been an uneven rollout of charging stations based on race and income. Census blocks in the state with majority Black and Hispanic residents were “significantly less” likely to have access to a charging station in their area compared to the rest of the state in 2019, according to research published this year. The same was true for neighborhoods with incomes lower than the median for the state.

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“The part that really surprised me [was] learning that the public funded infrastructure somehow is distributed in a less equitable way” than privately funded charging stations, says Chih-Wei Hsu, who led the study as a researcher at Humboldt State University. This disparity is probably the result of the state not being as thoughtful at the onset about how it designed its programs for funding charging stations, Hsu says. It’s a pitfall the Biden administration will need to avoid now that it’s trying to build out a national charging network.

The newly adopted infrastructure law includes $7.5 billion for EV charging infrastructure. That includes $5 billion for states and another $2.5 billion for grants prioritizing rural and “disadvantaged” communities. The goal is to build out a network of 500,000 charging stations across the country that is both “convenient and equitable,” according to the White House. The administration revealed more detailed plans for charging infrastructure last week when it set up a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. The administration committed to getting input from “diverse” stakeholders on how to improve the nation’s charging infrastructure. At early meetings, according to the plan, they’ll discuss environmental justice and civil rights as well as partnerships with local governments and tribes. Saving seats at the table for grassroots advocates will be key to making sure marginalized groups don’t continue to get left out, experts tell The Verge. People from marginalized communities will know where to put charging stations that will be the most useful. It can come down to super granular factors like knowing which grocery stores underserved groups are more likely to visit. “When I go to Whole Foods, there’s always a charger,” Hsu says of the organic grocery store. “The clientele at Whole Foods is very different than say, [the supermarket] Vons.” By early next year, the Biden administration plans to issue guidance to states and cities on how to set up charging stations. “This guidance will look at where we already have EV charging and where we need—or will need—more of it. It will focus on the needs of disadvantaged and rural communities,” the White House plan says. www.EQMagPro.com

The Federal Highway Commission is also taking public comment through January to inform its guidance on charging infrastructure deployment. The biggest investment in climate solutions in the US yet was supposed to come through Democrats’ massive budget reconciliation bill. Iterations of it included billions more to install charging stations, including in “multi-unit housing structures” and “underserved areas.” But West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has all but strangled that bill to death. Manchin negotiated to cut down climate provisions on behalf of his state’s fossil fuel industry, before saying over the weekend that he’ll block the bill by withholding his tie-breaking vote. That means even more is riding on the implementation of the infrastructure bill that Congress did manage to pass this year. Policies that help underserved communities transition to EVs could address another environmental injustice, too: air pollution. In addition to being responsible for nearly a quarter of US greenhouse gas emissions, cars are a big source of pollutants like particulate matter, which disproportionately affect Americans of color. A 2019 study found that White residents are exposed to 17 percent less air pollution than their individual actions trigger. Meanwhile, Black and Hispanic people in the US are burdened with about 60 percent more pollutants, on average, than they cause. EQ

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

EV Charging “When we think about who these cars are impacting the most, and who emissions are impacting the most: it’s people in my community,” says Kameale Terry, who lives in South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood with large Hispanic and Black communities. “And we’re not dumb people. We know that these things are health issues, and we want to be a part of the solution.”

Terry co-founded an app called ChargerHelp! that provides on-demand repair services for electric vehicle charging stations. One problem she sees through her business is a lack of working charging stations in her neighborhood. Popular places for people to gather, like churches and small businesses, might have gotten initial public funding for a charging station but might not always have the funds to keep it in good condition, she says. Unless the Biden administration starts proactively planning for charger maintenance and repairs, Terry worries that this problem will replicate itself at a national scale. “What we’re seeing today is that there was no type of operations and maintenance money allocated, and we’re seeing the same thing — really it’s a little bit scary — with the infrastructure bill,” she says. ChargerHelp! trains and hires people, many from Terry’s neighborhood, to fix up charging stations for the companies that manufacture and operate them. Advocates for cleaner transportation also say that the buck can’t stop with electric vehicles alone. Healthier air and a safer climate will still rely on investment in public transportation. “While expanding EV charging stations is important, the ultimate goal should be to reduce emissions and vehicle miles traveled,” Kevin Garcia, transportation planner for New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, says in an email to The Verge. For folks who live in transit deserts without adequate charging infrastructure or even subway stations nearby, climate and equity solutions boil down to more options for everyone. Source: theverge

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TATA POWER DELHI DISTRIBUTION INSTALLS OVER 1,400 EV CHARGERS IN DELHI-NCR

We are also looking to identify 50 top resident welfare associations RWAs in our licensed area for installing 2-3 two charging stations per RWA, Srinivasan said. The discom, supplying power to the north and northwest Delhi areas, has been working on developing both public and private EV charging infrastructure. With electric vehicle adoption picking up pace in Delhi, power discom TPDDL said it has boosted charging infrastructure installing over 1,400 chargers across the city and neighbouring towns in the national capital region. www.EQMagPro.com

The Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL) is also working with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation for installing 50 EV chargers at parking slots and market places under jursidction of the civic body in coming four-five months, said TPDDL chief executive officer Ganesh Srinivasan. ”We have already installed around 50 EV public chargers (9 in TPDDL area of operations) and 1,400 home chargers in NCR. We are also looking to identify 50 top resident welfare associations(RWAs) in our licensed area for installing 2-3 two charging stations per RWA,” Srinivasan said. The discom, supplying power to north and northwest Delhi areas, has been working on developing both public and private EV charging infrastructure. For public EV charging, TPDDL is offering its land in leasing model for deployment of chargers and battery swap stations, he said.

”Two battery swap stations at TPDDL Azadpur and Rohini RG-3 Grid have been deployed in collaboration with SUN Mobility in the land lease model, the TPDDL CEO said. Additionally, TPDDL is working on OPEX (operating expenses) model where it installs EV chargers at public or private land. Under the model, installation, operations and maintenance is done by TATA Power and lease amount is paid to the land owner in the form of actual unit consumption of charger, he said. Every charging station offers charging services to all segments of EV vehicles, the only thing that differentiates them is the type of charging configuration. The charging configuration is primarily deployed as per the nearby traffic movement and business potential, Srinivasan said. Charging station with battery swap offers quick services to two and three wheelers, and e-rickshaws, and AC/DC chargers for two, three and four wheeled vehicles, he said. Electric vehicles accounted for nine percent of the total vehicle sales in Delhi during September-November, six times higher than the national average, the city government recently said. The sale of electric vehicles surpassed CNG and diesel vehicles in Delhi in the last quarter, it added.

ICREATE FACILITATES CHARGE+ZONE, GUJARAT GOVT TIE-UP FOR SETTING UP EV CHARGING STATIONS With a $300 million investment, the MoU to electrify 10,000 km of National and State Highways with charging stations in the next 3 to 5 years.

startup incubator, iCreate has facilitated a partnership with CHARGE+ZONE, an EV charging company, and the Government of Gujarat for $300 million investment to set a network of un-manned, up app-driven 10,000 EV charging stations in Gujarat and scale more than 50,000 charging stations across the country. The MoU aims to electrify 10,000 km of National and State Highways in the next 3 to 5 years with super-fast charging stations. It will also lay the foundation for creating a robust charging infrastructure model. According to the iCreate press release, CHARGE+ZONE, with the support of iCreate also provides comprehensive EV charging solutions by offering Energy-as-a-Service with battery swap stations, app-driven convenience and cloud-based technology. The press release added that CHARGE+ZONE also aims to bring AC type 2 Max chargers and AC type 2 Mini chargers for corporate campuses, gated communities, business/IT parks, etc. The press release also stated that the CHARGE+ZONE had created an active B2B and B2C network for EV charging for fleet and retail customers by setting up 1250+ charging points across 400+ EV charging stations serving around 3,000 EVs, cars and buses, daily. It now looks forward to setting up new hubs for 3000+ electric buses for intercity public transportation in 10+ states in India.

“It is an honour for us to partner with the Government to electrify the roadways with EV charging points in the country. With this, we have taken a step closer towards achieving our mission of setting up one million charging points in the country and consequently, accelerating the adoption of EVs in the country”, said Kartikey Hariyani, Founder & CEO, CHARGE+ZONE.

Source: thehindubusinessline

Source : PTI

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EV Charging AMTE Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells for specialist markets, has been confirmed as a partner in a new UK Government-funded project called CELERITAS to develop ultra-fast charging systems for electric vehicles.

BATTERY MANUFACTURER JOINS PROJECT TO BOOST EV CHARGING TIME TO ‘JUST 12 MINUTES’

urrently, the best-in-class charging systems take approximately 22 minutes for a 10-80% charge for a 280-mile range. The CELERITAS project is aiming to deliver an 80% charge in just 12 minutes. Reducing charge times has been identified as key to accelerating the widespread switch by consumers to electric vehicles. The project will be part-funded by the UK Government through the Advanced Propulsion Centre. (“APCUK”). AMTE Power’s role will be to develop its high-power pouch cells into a cylindrical cell format and provide these cells as the rapid charging cell technology that sits at the heart of the system. The grant funding relating to this project was anticipated in the Company’s forecasts for future grant income. The five other partners involved in project CELERITAS are expected to be: BMW Group, BP, Sprint Power, a British technology company specializing in low carbon technology, Clas-Sic, the dedicated Silicon Carbide Wafer foundry and Eltrium, a designer and manufacturer of electrical harnesses and energy storage systems. This is the second APCUK funded project AMTE has been selected to be a key partner in. The first, announced in June 2021, is Project ULTRA for which AMTE is the lead supplier.

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Kevin Brundish, Chief Executive Officer of AMTE Power, said: “A key focus of this project is to target BMW’s future battery specifications and requirements with each partner bringing innovations to the battery platform. It is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to contribute as well as demonstrate the capabilities of our cell technology to the other partners not just for fast charging but also for fast discharge (acceleration) and ultimately vehicle range.” Source: electrichybridvehicletechnology

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MSEDCL OFFERS ADD’L CONCESSION FOR LATE NIGHT EV CHARGING

Mumbai: MSEDCL has offered an additional concessional rate of Rs 4.50 per unit for non-peak hours of electric vehicles (EV) charging, an official said. The concessional rate will be given to consumers who charge electric bikes, cars or any other EVs from 10pm to 6am.

he state government had kept the rate of EV charging to as low as Rs 5.50 per unit — which is lower than the residential rates for electricity. “And now, this is a further concession of one rupee for those charging vehicles late at night,” the official said. The MSEDCL has also announced setting up of 18 EV charging stations in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for the public — four in Greater Mumbai, six in Thane, four in Navi Mumbai and four in Panvel. Seven of these charging stations have almost been set up, said sources. The power utility firm has prepared a roadmap for setting up a total of 500 charging stations close to its sub stations in various districts of Maharashtra over two years.

MSEDCL supplies power to 2.6 crore consumers across Maharashtra and will promote setting up of e-charging points in housing complexes/societies. A recent survey had shown that in Mumbai, 85% housing societies (respondents) had shown interest in setting up e-charging points within the complex. As for the e-charging stations planned on highways across the state, they will be set up close to MSEDCL substations so that there is uninterrupted supply, officials said. These will be fast DC charging stations. In this setup, it will require 45 minutes to an hour to charge a vehicle completely. On Tuesday, the power firm, along with the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, had organised a roadshow in Navi Mumbai to promote e-vehicles such as bikes, three wheelers, cars and buses. At the same time, Tata Power has tied up with petrol pumps in Mumbai to set up EV charging points at nearly 100 locations, besides having them in malls and office buildings in Mumbai. BEST has also set up charging stations at four depots and will have this facility for the public at 23 other depots and 10 bus stations. Source: timesofindia

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

EVRE AIMS TO POWER 10,000 ELECTRIC VEHICLES WITH 5,000 EV CHARGERS EVRE has joined hands with Zyngo that will use the EV chargers to extend its last-mile delivery system. EV charging infrastructure player EVRE has announced that it has joined hands with last-mile delivery provider Zyngo for parking and charging infrastructure solutions. Under this association, EVRE will offer 5,000 EV charging stations across India within the next 24 months.

hese EV charging stations will be utilised by Zyngo and EV fleet operators, claimed EVRE. Zyngo on the other hand aims to increase its EV fleet to 10,000 vehicles from the current over 500 units. EVRE claims that with this strategy, it aims to reduce the CO2 emissions of 27 MT every year. Also, this strategy would reduce around 12 million litres of fossil fuel consumption. The company further claims that Zyngo will use these EV chargers to extend its lastmile access. EVRE will design, manufacture and execute the operation and maintenance of the EV charging infrastructure. The company also claims that such partnerships help the EV fleet operators wherein they can concentrate on managing their core functions operations as charging infrastructure players manage the fleet with efficient and contiguous infrastructure. During the first phase of the partnership, EVRE will support Zyngo with 500 charging stations for its EV fleet of 500 EVs.

Speaking on the partnership Prateek Rao, founder & CEO, Zyngo said that the company is driving ahead electrification of hyperlocal delivery services across e-commerce spectrum. “EVRE’s tech advanced charging infra combined with Zyngo’s fully competent and advanced Logistics tech platform & fleet management will strive the EV ecosystem and enable faster adoption,” he said. Commenting on this partnership, Krishna K Jasti, co-founder and CEO of EVRE said, the company aims to increase new business value through co-creation with services and businesses, such as the advancement of computer vision technology. Source: HT Auto Desk

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ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS ARE BECOMING MORE COMMON. BUT ARE THEY MORE RELIABLE? - Shannon Bradley bought an electric vehicle last year and has been disappointed by charging stations

- Municipalities in Nova Scotia — large and small — are starting to install electric vehicle charging stations. At least one driver is hoping they will be well-maintained.

he town of Mahone Bay will have eight units by the end of December. According to the mayor, it makes sense to encourage people to consider electric vehicles because Mahone Bay has its own utility and 84 per cent of the power comes from wind and solar.

“I think the municipalities are the ones that can provide leadership,” said David Devenne, “Especially the ones that have their own utilities, we can have an impact on both ends.”

Bradley said she has seen comments from other electric vehicle drivers who have had problems with a variety of the charging stations. “Either because their app isn’t working, or their plastic card isn’t working or the charger itself is out of order,” said Bradley. Thomas Arnason McNeil, the Ecology Action Centre’s sustainable transportation co-ordinator, said he hasn’t heard of ongoing issues with the chargers. “Sometimes it’s a matter of education or confidence using the technology,” said Arnason McNeil.

Halifax has just adopted an electric vehicle strate- There are three different levels of chargers as well as differgy. It includes plans to install 1,000 charging stations ent apps for finding and using the stations. The Tesla car also has its own charging units, as does Petro over the next 10 years. There are currently more than company Canada and Nova Scotia Power. 100 of them across the province. An electric vehicle According to Leithan Slade, a spokesman for Petro Candriver from Halifax hopes the new charging units ada, its network is reliable. will have ongoing maintenance. Shannon Brad“However, we are still learning about the chargers,” ley bought an electric vehicle in April 2020. Slade wrote in an email. Five months later, she tried to attend a famPetro-Canada has chargers in Halifax and Stewiacke. According to the company, the ily function in the Parrsboro area. BradHalifax location has experienced some isley planned to charge the vehicle in sues and maintenance has been affected Masstown but the charging station by a parts shortage, but the Stewiacke site “continues to perform well.” did not work. She backtracked to Nova Scotia Power has 25 chargTruro, then to Stewiacke, to try ing stations across the country. to use units, but they didn’t A spokesperson for the utilBrynn Budden, an HRM spokesperson, said in an email work either. ity said they are monitored that the municipality plans to have maintenance agreements “24/7” and have regular “So we took our bawlwith the manufacturer of the charging units. maintenance. ing, crying kids back Devenne said he thinks any issues with the charging stations are because home,” she said. “We take the reliabil“it’s early days for the industry” and he expects expertise to develop. ity of our network Currently there are about 500 electric vehicles on the road in Nova Scotia, but the very seriously,” province has just passed legislation making it mandatory for 30 per cent of all new car wrote Jacquesales to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. line Foster. Source: cbc

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Featured GM, VOLKSWAGEN BUILD UP THEIR BATTERY SUPPLY CHAINS AMID ELECTRIC-VEHICLE PUSH

[

Like Tesla, traditional auto makers are investing more in needed supplies as the industry returns more to vertical integration. Auto makers are trying to control more of the supply chain for electric vehicles, forging new partnerships with raw materials producers and investing in facilities that make chemicals for batteries.

eneral Motors Co., Volkswagen AG and other major car companies have already been spending heavily on joint-venture factories to ensure their own supplies of electric-vehicle batteries. Now, they are also looking to expand further as they seek to lower costs, secure sought-after components and exert more control over battery quality and performance. Tesla Inc. was among the first to insource more of its EV-battery making, moves that helped the electric-vehicle pioneer become the world’s most valuable auto maker. The push by auto makers to control more of their supply chains also comes as a semiconductor shortage has hampered vehicle production. In recent weeks, Volkswagen and Stellantis NV have announced deals to lock up supplies of lithium, the silvery-white metal whose electrochemical properties make it ideal for electric vehicles’ powerful batteries. GM said in early December that it will invest in a new North American factory with Korean steel and chemical maker POSCO to produce cathode materials, a critical component of the battery that accounts for a big chunk of its cost. Volkswagen has plans to build a similar cathode-material factory of its own with Belgian materials company Umicore SA. The moves point to an industry that is again embracing elements of vertical integration, a strategy that traces its roots to the early days of the auto industry when some manufacturers owned or acquired much of the supply chain necessary for production. Ford Motor Co. at one point owned mines and a steel mill. The change also comes as electrification threatens to disrupt the industry’s normal hierarchy between auto makers and their suppliers, analysts say. Traditionally, auto makers have been able to improve profitability by pitting suppliers against one another. With just a handful of players making the highest-quality batteries and chemicals, auto makers have diminished pricing power. Relying solely on suppliers to develop their battery technology would be akin to not making their own engines, said Thomas Schmall, a VW board member and chief executive of the company’s parts business, earlier this year.

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]

Ken Morris, GM’s head of electrification, said at the company’s investor day in October that bringing more of its battery supply chain in-house was key to meeting its future profitability and environmental targets outlined to investors. In addition to the cathodematerial factory, GM also signed a deal over the summer to invest in a geothermal extraction project in California’s Salton Sea for lithium. “Vertical integration will help us do it quicker, at a lower cost and more sustainably,” he said.

The global auto industry has been aggressive in its efforts to sell more electric vehicles, with some major car companies committing billions of dollars to expand lineups. In addition, governments are offering incentives to spur production and sales while simultaneously tightening emissions rules. As a result, plug-in models are expected to account for half of all new vehicles sold globally by 2030, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. Still, these vehicles require a radically different supply chain than those built up over decades for gasoline-powered cars and trucks. The sharp shift to electrics has spurred concerns about whether companies will be able to secure enough high-quality materials for making the batteries and other components that are core to meeting future sales targets. Executives say controlling more supply-chain production can help insulate companies from future price increases and shortages. The disruptions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent semiconductor shortage are further pushing the car industry in this direction, prompting manufacturers to lessen their reliance on global outsourcing. www.EQMagPro.com

“Everybody wants to secure the supply chain and not repeat the very painful experience of the semiconductor shortage,” said Mathias Miedreich, CEO at Umicore.

In recent decades, car companies have largely shifted away from vertical integration, spinning off parts-making operations and relying more on outside suppliers to provide components. Vertical integration can be capital-intensive and risky, and in the past, auto manufacturers have struggled to bring new competencies like software development in house, leading to delays and dented sales. When Tesla invested more in its battery-making capabilities, it did so in part out of necessity. It needed huge quantities of batteries to accomplish its goal of making affordable, mass-market electric vehicles. To meet its own demand, Tesla built its first gigafactory, a joint venture with Japanese battery-maker Panasonic Corp., which opened in 2016. Years later, nearly every major auto maker has emulated Tesla’s approach and made investments in its own joint-venture battery plants. To offset risks in moving further upstream, auto manufacturers are striking partnerships to help share the cost burden for projects and tap the expertise of companies already in the field. “There’s a lot of pressure to integrate,” said Ulderico Ullisi, an analyst at research firm Rho Motion. Those that don’t, he said, risk becoming overly dependent on battery suppliers for the car’s costliest technology and ceding margin to them.

Lithium-ion battery production relies heavily on China for refining and producing key inputs, according to analysts. That reliance increases shipping costs and leaves auto makers—particularly those in the U.S.—subject to geopolitical risks, they say. “Right now, there are materials and inputs into this value chain that are zigzagging the complete world,” said Anirvan Coomer, executive director of GM’s global electrification supply chain. “We see an opportunity in terms of making the value chain a lot more sustainable and leaner.”

IIT-M TO LAUNCH MASTER’S PROGRAMME ON EV The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), announced it would launch a Master’s Program on Electric Vehicles (EV) and that it would be an inter-disciplinary dual degree (IDDD).

t would boost the students’ engagement with e-Mobility and be offered for its BTech and dual degree students. This program would enhance the research capabilities in this field, a press release from the premier technical institute said. Students are expected to enrol in this programme from January during their third year of BTech and dual degree programs. The initial intake is expected to be 25 students.

Highlighting the unique aspects of this program, Prof T Asokan, Head, Department of Engineering Design, IITMadras, said, “The course will be the result of nearly eight departments collaborating to induct the skills required for a student to engineer Electric Vehicles.” “The content offered is carefully curated to build sufficient depth in each domain, starting from vehicle basics and going to very specific EV aggregates including batteries and motors,” he added. Source: PTI

Source: livemint

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Featured BMW IX M60 ELECTRIC SUV, WITH OVER 500 KMS RANGE, LEAKED AHEAD OF GLOBAL DEBUT

BMW was all set to officially unveil the iX M60 electric SUV at the Consumer Electronics Show 2022 on January 5. The EV can reportedly generate around 600 hp, the highest in its range.

MW iX M60 is slated to make its debut at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 in Las Vegas in a few days. But ahead of the official unveiling, several details about the upcoming electric vehicles has leaked online. The BMW iX M60 is tuned by the M Performance Automobile Division. The iX M60 is going to be the first ever fully electric BMW M model in the carmaker’s history. According to the leaked images, it will feature a more aggressive body styling compared to other electric models from the German carmaker. In collaborations with world-renowned artists, the BMW iX M60 will have the technology that changes the vehicle’s exterior colour.

This is the first time ever that such a technology will be shown to the world when the iX M60 breaks cover this week. The BMW iX M60 is going to be powered by two electric motors with an output reportedly more than 600 horsepower and 765 Newton meters of torque. This will make it a more powerful model than the iX xDrive50 which has an output of 515 hp and 765 Nm of torque. The acceleration of the iX M60 from zero to 100 kmph is also reportedly under four seconds, making it quicker than 4.6 seconds by xDrive50. The BMW iX M60 is likely to come packed with a 105.2 kWh lithium-ion battery, the same that is used for the iX models. The battery will help the electric SUV to return a range of around 500 kms on a single charge. Source: HT Auto Desk

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

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OLECTRA GREENTECH RECEIVES LETTER OF AWARD FOR 50 ELECTRIC BUSES

Olectra Greentech, Hyderabad-based country’s largest manufacturer of electric buses, on Monday said it has received a letter of award (LoA) for 50 e-buses from “one of the state transport authorities” for inter-city operations under the central government’s FAME-II scheme. These buses are to be delivered in 12 months, the company said in a regulatory filing.

“Out of the tenders where Olectra Greentech Limited and Evey Trans Private Limited (EVEY) were declared as leastquoted (L-1) bidders for 353 buses; for 50 electric buses, Evey has received a letter of award from one of the state transport authorities (i.e for inter-city operations) under FAME-II scheme of the Government of India,” Olectra Greentech said in the filing.

vey Trans Pvt Ltd is a subsidiary of Olectra Greentech. “This order for the supply of 50 ebuses is on gross cost contract (GCC)/ OPEX model basis (i.e for Inter-city operations) is for a period of 12 years The maintenance of these buses will also be undertaken by the Olectra during the contract period,” the company said. The value of this contract is about Rs 125 crore, it added. www.EQMagPro.com

With this, the total order book of Olectra for electric buses stands at around 1,523 e-buses after considering the deliveries already made, the company said. Olectra Greentech, part of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd, has developed its buses with technical support from China’s largest electric vehicle maker BYD. Source: PTI EQ

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Energy Storage

SCALING UP ENERGY STORAGE

As solar and wind energy continue to dominate India’s installed renewable energy capacity, their intermittent nature on the grids can only be tackled through large and affordable energy storage solutions.

rime Minister Narendra Modi made three significant announcements at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow. First, that India would be targeting Net Zero emissions by 2070. The second being that India would be increasing its installed renewable energy capacity target to 500 GW by 2030 and the third being cutting down of emissions by 1 billion tons by the same date. Energy Storage will have a significant role to play in this transition and we can expect opening up of huge opportunities in this area in 2022. The Indian energy sector will certainly be implementing measures towards innovating Energy Storage Systems (ESS), especially a Battery Energy Storage System. Electricity produced from renewable sources like wind and solar is intermittent in nature and the share of renewable energy would increase multifold to meet our clean energy targets. This would necessitate the need for large energy storage solutions for bringing stability to our power grids. Large grid-scale battery storage will help in such a scenario by ensuring that the grid frequency remains in the range of 49.9–50.05 hertz (Hz). Given how important energy storage is for India to achieve its climate targets, the Government of India had announced last year that it intends to come up with a comprehensive policy on energy storage in the power sector. Among the energy storage systems, batteries have emerged as an important technology for reducing carbon emissions around the world. A Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) is a rechargeable Lithium-ion (Li-ion) based battery system that stores energy from solar arrays or the electric grid and provides that energy to a home or business. In 2020, the International Energy Association (IEA) had stated that India is going to require more battery storage than any other country for its renewable energy targets. Over the past few years, the Government of India has been working towards meeting this requirement. Last year, to develop an enabling battery manufacturing ecosystem in the country, the Government of India had made a laudable announcement of an ₹18,100 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for a battery storage eco-system that involves setting up 55-GWh manufacturing capacity for advanced chemistry cell batteries. The Government of India is also working on the world’s largest grid-scale battery storage programme, including a 13 gigawatt-hour (GWh) facility in Ladakh and a 14 GWh system in Kutch.

EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

While these measures by the Government are significant, there are still some issues that are required to be addressed by our policymakers to establish an enabling battery manufacturing ecosystem in India. One of these issues is the availability of raw materials for battery storage manufacturing. The most advanced battery technology today is lithiumion batteries.

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But India at present has a shortage of supply of lithium. Further, Chinese state-owned firms have lithium mine concessions in lithium surplus countries. In 2019, India had discovered around 14000 tonnes of lithium, but this is very less compared to 8.6 million tonnes in Chile, 2.8 million tonnes in Australia and 1.7 million tonnes in Argentina. Since India’s lithium requirements are going to increase in the coming years, to address this issue it is now time that the Government of India considers using its partnerships with countries around the world to sign long-term purchase contracts for lithium and other raw materials. It can also consider investing in mining activities in these regions. This will ensure the manufacturing of Lithium-Ion batteries in India and its cost will most likely reduce to less than $100/KWh, in the next 2-3 years’ time. As the number of lithium-ion batteries used by India begins to increase, another issue that is still to be addressed is battery recycling. According to JMK Research estimates, the lithium-ion battery market in India is expected to increase from 2.9 GWh in 2018 to about 132 GWh by 2030 at a CAGR of 35.5 per cent. To reduce the import of raw materials and ensure sustainable battery manufacturing, the Government must begin to invest early in a battery recycling infrastructure in India. It should also consider devising suitable policies for battery recycling that results in the development of a circular economy of manufacturers or new enterprises involved in battery recycling in the country. While as of today, Li-ion is the most promising solution, there is a huge focus both, by the Government and the industry on innovation on alternate chemistries for battery storage. Green hydrogen will eventually be the most sustainable solution as far as energy storage is concerned which today is not economically viable. We are expecting pilot projects in coming years and disruptions are bound to happen in technologies around battery storage and Hydrogen which will contribute to our mission of being selfreliant and making India truly atmanirbhar. India has been relying on imports of oil, solar PV and batteries. The creation of an enabling energy storage ecosystem in India will contribute significantly to India’s economic growth and also provide employment opportunities to millions of people. With the right policies and collaborations through public-private partnerships, it is evident that in the new decade, India will emerge as a global leader in renewable energy. Source: businessworld

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Energy Storage

CURRENT ADVANCES IN MXENE-BASED MATERIALS FOR ENERGY STORAGE

In a recent paper published in the journal Energies, researchers reviewed the progress in advanced MXene-based nanocomposites, which show excellent performances in electrochemical storage devices such as supercapacitors and metal-ion batteries. These nanocomposites are a new class of 2D layered transition metal carbides or carbonitrides that possess a large number of functional groups, high electronic conductivity, and excellent hydrophilicity and dispersibility in aqueous solutions.

WHAT ARE MXENES?

SYNTHESIS OF MXENES

The development of new classes of advanced twodimensional (2D) layered materials, including graphene, phosphorene, and MoS2 has promoted tremendous technological progress in energy storage systems due to their extraordinary properties, namely, the large interlayer spaces within the layered structures that facilitate intercalation and diffusion of ions, suppress volume change during charge/discharge process, high carrier mobility, and electrical conductivities. 2D MXenes viz. Ti2CTx, Ti3CNTx, and V2CTx have adjustable composition, hydrophilic behavior, conductivity, thermal conductivity, tunable bandgap, and excellent mechanical strength, which make them preferable for high and flexible energy density storage systems. However, they easily agglomerate into multilayer structures owing to strong Van der Waals forces between the layers, which lead to the decrease in the interlayer space and slow redox or intercalation/deintercalation reactions. Hence, many studies are going on to enlarge the space between the interlayers of MXenes. Substantial efforts have also been made in methodologies of patterned MXene-based composite film or MXene-based conductive ink for fabricating more types of energy storage devices, which includes vacuum filtration, mask-assisted filtration, screen printing, extrusion printing technique, and directly writing.

The MXene flakes are fabricated by using hydrofluoric acid (HF) or a mixed solution of lithium fluoride (LiF) and hydrochloric acid (HCl) to selectively extract the “A” element from the ternary “MAX” phase, where the M represents transition metals, the A represents IIIA or IVA group elements, and the X represents carbon and/or nitrogen. The MXenes possess an accordion-like hexagonal lattice structure, which forms due to the original metallic backbone, weak M-A bond, and strong M-X bond. Additionally, during the bond breaking and binding processes, some surface terminal groups are formed, which gives suitable interlayer spacing and active sites. Hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching is the most effective process to selectively react with the “A” layer atoms and continual out-diffusion to exfoliate the MAX phase. Nevertheless, the HF reagent is a highly corrosive and hazardous poison, and hence, many other mild etchants such as NH4HF2 or a mixture of LiF and HCl have been developed. The properties of the final MXenes (e.g., metallic, semi-metallic) and semiconducting types directly depend upon the preparation process and the functional groups present. The conversion of MAX phase to MXene sheets is achieved through three approaches, namely, wet-chemical etching in hydrofluoric acid, in situ HF-forming method, and freeze-and-thaw-assisted (FAT) method.

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APPLICATIONS OF MXENES MXenes display great potential in lithium-ion batteries (LIB) due to their large available surface areas for electrolyte ion adsorption, satisfactory electrical conductivity, desirable ion transfer within the interlayers, and rapid surface redox reaction. Moreover, MXenes such as Ti3C2 are used as a functional host matrix for integrating other materials such as germanium oxide, iron oxide, and tin sulfate for further enhancing the overall energy storage performance of LIB. The deposited SnO2 on the MXene can effectively suppress the degradation of MXene while the thin inactive layer of HfO2 would serve as an artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer for enhancing the cycling stability.

Moreover, MXenes with 3D heterostructure exhibit high capacitance with excellent cyclic stability, which makes them a promising supercapacitor (SC) material. A Ti3C2/CuS composite as the positive electrode in alkaline electrolyte with a potential of 0–0.6 V delivers a capacity of 169.5 C/g at 1 A/g with a capacity retention of 90.5% at 5 A/g after 5000 long-term cycles. The SC fabricated by the Ti3C2/CuS positive electrode and Ti3C2 negative electrode at a voltage range of 0–1.1 V exhibits a specific capacitance of 49.3 F/g to 0–1.5 V with a maximum energy density of 15.4 Wh/ kg and capacitance retention of 82.4% after 5000 cycles.

CONCLUSIONS To conclude, MXene-based composite films or fibers with geometric flexibility and multifunctionality made them preferable as electrodes for SCs and anode materials for zinc- and lithium-ion batteries. Moreover, the electrochemical performance of MXene-based materials is enhanced by enlarging the interlayer of MXene, modifying the chemical structure, and constructing the nanostructures. Hence, MXenes have a promising future in flexible, wearable, and lightweight energy storage devices. Source: azom

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Hydrogen WHAT IS GREEN HYDROGEN AND WHY DO WE NEED IT?

AN EXPERT EXPLAINS

Green hydrogen could be a critical enabler of the global transition to sustainable energy and net zero emissions economies. There is unprecedented momentum around the world to fulfil hydrogen’s longstanding potential as a clean energy solution. Dr Emanuele Taibi lays out where things with hydrogen stand now and how it can help to achieve a clean, secure and affordable energy future.

he time is right to tap into hydrogen’s potential to play a key role in tackling critical energy challenges. The recent successes of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles have shown that policy and technology innovation have the power to build global clean energy industries. Hydrogen is emerging as one of the leading options for storing energy from renewables with hydrogen-based fuels potentially transporting energy from renewables over long distances – from regions with abundant energy 32

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resources, to energy-hungry areas thousands of kilometers away. Green hydrogen featured in a number of emissions reduction pledges at the UN Climate Conference, COP26, as a means to decarbonize heavy industry, long haul freight, shipping, and aviation. Governments and industry have both acknowledged hydrogen as an important pillar of a net zero economy. The Green Hydrogen Catapult, a United Nations initiative to bring down the cost of green hydrogen announced that it is almost doubling its goal for green www.EQMagPro.com

electrolysers from 25 gigawatts set last year, to 45 gigawatts by 2027. The European Commission has adopted a set of legislative proposals to decarbonize the EU gas market by facilitating the uptake of renewable and low carbon gases, including hydrogen, and to ensure energy security for all citizens in Europe. The United Arab Emirates is also raising ambition, with the country’s new hydrogen strategy aiming to hold a fourth of the global low-carbon hydrogen market by 2030 and Japan recently announced it will invest $3.4 billion from its green innovation fund to accelerate research and development and promotion of hydrogen use over the next 10 years. You might encounter the terms ‘grey’, ‘blue’, ‘green’ being associated when describing hydrogen technologies. It all comes down to the way it is produced. Hydrogen emits only water when burned but creating it can be carbon intensive. Depending on production methods, hydrogen can be grey, blue or green – and sometimes even pink, yellow or turquoise. However, green hydrogen is the only type produced in a climate-neutral manner making it critical to reach net zero by 2050. We asked Dr Emanuele Taibi, Head of the Power Sector Transformation Strategies, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to explain what green hydrogen is and how it could pave the way towards net zero emissions. He is currently based with the IRENA Innovation and Technology Center in Bonn, Germany, where he is responsible for assisting Member Countries in devising strategies for the transformation of the power sector, and currently managing the work on power system flexibility, hydrogen and storage as key enablers for the energy transition. Dr Taibi is also a co curator for the World Economic Forum’s Strategic Intelligence platform, where his team developed the transformation map on Hydrogen.

GREEN HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGIES What motivated you to develop your expertise in energy technologies and how does your work at IRENA contribute to it?

It was during my Master’s thesis. I did an internship in the Italian National Agency for Energy and Environment (ENEA), where I learnt about sustainable development and energy, and the nexus between the two. I wrote my thesis in management engineering about it and decided this was the area where I wanted to focus my working life. Fast forward almost 20 years of experience in energy and international cooperation, a PhD in Energy Technology and time spent in private sector, research and intergovernmental agencies, I currently lead the power sector transformation team at IRENA since 2017.

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My work at IRENA is to contribute, with my team and in close cooperation with colleagues across the agency and external partners such as the World Economic Forum, in supporting our 166 Member Countries in the energy transition, with a focus on renewable electricity supply and its use to decarbonize the energy sector through green electrons as well as green molecules like hydrogen and its derivatives. What is green hydrogen? How does it differ from traditional emissions-intensive ‘grey’ hydrogen and blue hydrogen?

Hydrogen is the simplest and smallest element in the periodic table. No matter how it is produced, it ends up with the same carbon-free molecule. However, the pathways to produce it are very diverse, and so are the emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). Green hydrogen is defined as hydrogen produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. This is a very different pathway compared to both grey and blue. Grey hydrogen is traditionally produced from methane (CH4), split with steam into CO2 – the main culprit for climate change – and H2, hydrogen. Grey hydrogen has increasingly been produced also from coal, with significantly higher CO2 emissions per unit of hydrogen produced, so much that is often called brown or black hydrogen instead of grey. It is produced at industrial scale today, with associated emissions comparable to the combined emissions of UK and Indonesia. It has no energy transition value, quite the opposite. Blue hydrogen follows the same process as grey, with the additional technologies necessary to capture the CO2 produced when hydrogen is split from methane (or from coal) and store it for long term. It is not one colour but rather a very broad gradation, as not 100% of the CO2 produced can be captured, and not all means of storing it are equally effective in the long term. The main point is that capturing large part of the CO2, the climate impact of hydrogen production can be reduced significantly.

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There are technologies (i.e. methane pyrolysis) that hold a promise for high capture rates (9095%) and effective longterm storage of the CO2 in solid form, potentially so much better than blue that they deserve their own colour in the “hydrogen taxonomy rainbow”, turquoise hydrogen. However, methane pyrolysis is still at pilot stage, while green hydrogen is rapidly scaling up based on two key technologies – renewable power (in particular from solar PV and wind, but not only) and electrolysis. Unlike renewable power, which is the cheapest source of electricity in most countries and region today, electrolysis for green hydrogen production needs to significantly scale-up and reduce its cost by at least three times over the next decade or two. However, unlike CCS and methane pyrolysis, electrolysis is commercially available today and can be procured from multiple international suppliers right now.

GREEN HYDROGEN ENERGY SOLUTIONS What are the merits of energy transition solutions towards a ‘green’ hydrogen economy? How could we transition to a green hydrogen economy from where we are currently with grey hydrogen?

Green hydrogen is an important piece of the energy transition. It is not the next immediate step, as we first need to further accelerate the deployment of renewable electricity to decarbonize existing power systems, accelerate electrification of the energy sector to leverage low-cost renewable electricity, before finally decarbonize sectors

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that are difficult to electrify – like heavy industry, shipping and aviation – through green hydrogen. It is important to note that today we produce significant amount of grey hydrogen, with high CO2 (and methane) emissions: priority would be to start decarbonizing existing hydrogen demand, for example by replacing ammonia from natural gas with green ammonia. Recent studies have sparked a debate about the concept of blue hydrogen as a transition fuel till green hydrogen becomes cost-competitive. How would green hydrogen become cost competitive vis-à-vis blue hydrogen? What sort of strategic investments need to occur in the technology development process? The first step is to provide a signal for blue hydrogen to replace grey, as without a price for emitting CO2, there is no business case for companies to invest in complex and costly carbon capture system (CCS) and geological storages of CO2. Once the framework is such that low-carbon hydrogen (blue, green, turquoise) is competitive with grey hydrogen, then the question becomes: should we invest in CCS if the risk is to have stranded assets, and how soon will green become cheaper than blue. The answer will of course differ depending on the region. In a net zero world, an objective that more and more countries are committing to, the remaining emissions from blue hydrogen would have to be offset with negative emissions. This will come at a cost. In parallel, gas prices have been very volatile lately, leaving blue hydrogen price highly correlated to gas price, and exposed not only to CO2 price uncertainty, but also to natural gas price volatility.

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For green hydrogen, however, we might witness a similar story to that of solar PV. It is capital intensive, therefore we need to reduce investment cost as well as the cost of investment, through scaling up manufacturing of renewable technologies and electrolysers, while creating a low-risk offtake to reduce the cost of capital for green hydrogen investments. This will lead to a stable, decreasing cost of green hydrogen, as opposed to a volatile and potentially increasing cost of blue hydrogen. Renewable energy technologies reached a level of maturity already today that allows competitive renewable electricity generation all around the world, a prerequisite for competitive green hydrogen production. Electrolysers though are still deployed at very small scale, needing a scale up of three orders of magnitude in the next three decades to reduce their cost threefold. Today the pipeline for green hydrogen projects is on track for a halving of electrolyser cost before 2030.

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This, combined with large projects located where the best renewable resources are, can lead to competitive green hydrogen to be available at scale in the next 5-10 years. This does not leave much time for blue hydrogen – still at pilot stage today – to scale up from pilot to commercial scale, deploy complex projects (e.g. the longterm geological CO2 storage) at commercial scale and competitive cost, and recover the investments made in the next 10-15 years. Several governments have now included hydrogen fuel technologies in their national strategies. Given the rising demands to transition towards decarbonization of the economy and enabling technologies with higher carbon capture rates, what would be your advice to policymakers and decisionmakers who are evaluating the pros and cons of green hydrogen? We will need green hydrogen to reach net zero emissions, in particular for industry, shipping and aviation. However, what we need most urgently is:

1) energy efficiency; 2) electrification; 3) accelerated growth of renewable power generation.

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Once this is achieved, we are left with ca. 40% of demand to be decarbonised, and this is where we need green hydrogen, modern bioenergy and direct use of renewables. Once we further scale up renewable power to decarbonise electricity, we will be in a position to further expand renewable power capacity to produce competitive green hydrogen and decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors at minimal extra cost.

THE FUTURE OF GREEN HYDROGEN Where do you see energy technologies relating to hydrogen evolving by 2030? Could we anticipate hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles?

We see the opportunity for rapid uptake of green hydrogen in the next decade where hydrogen demand already exists: decarbonising ammonia, iron and other existing commodities. Many industrial processes that use hydrogen can replace grey with green or blue, provided CO2 is adequately priced or other mechanisms for the decarbonisation of those sectors are put in place. For shipping and aviation, the situation is slightly different. Drop-in fuels, based on green hydrogen but essentially identical to jet fuel and methanol produced from oil, can be used in existing planes and ships, with minimal to no adjustments. However, those fuels contain CO2, which has to be captured from somewhere and added to the hydrogen, to be released again during combustion: this reduces but does not solve the problem of CO2 emissions. Synthetic fuels can be deployed before 2030, if the right incentives are in place to justify the extra cost of reduced (not eliminated) emissions. In the coming years, ships can switch to green ammonia, a fuel produced from green hydrogen and nitrogen from the air, which does not contain CO2, but investments will be needed to replace engines and tanks, and green ammonia is currently much more expensive than fuel oil. Hydrogen (or ammonia) planes are further away, and these will be essentially new planes that have to be designed, built and sold to airlines to replace existing jetfuel-powered planes – clearly not feasible by 2030:

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in this sense, green jet fuel – produced with a combination of green hydrogen and sustainable bioenergy – is a solutions that can be deployed in the near term. In conclusion, the main actions to accelerate decarbonization between now and 2030 are 1) energy efficiency 2) electrification with renewables 3) rapid acceleration of renewable power generation (which will further reduce the already low cost of renewable electricity) 4) scale up of sustainable, modern bioenergy, needed – among others – to produce green fuels that require CO2 5) decarbonization of grey hydrogen with green hydrogen, which would bring scale and reduce the cost of electrolysis, making green hydrogen competitive and ready for a further scale up in the 2030s, towards the objective of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. The World Economic Forum is a longstanding supporter of the clean hydrogen agenda since 2017, having helped -inter alia- with the creation of the Hydrogen Council, the establishment of a hydrogen Innovation Challenge in partnership with Mission Innovation, and the creation, together with the Energy Transitions Commission, of the Mission Possible platform to help transition hard-to-abate sectors to net zero emissions by 2050. Source: weforum

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Hydrogen GERMANY’S $1BN SCHEME TO SUBSIDISE GREEN HYDROGEN PROJECTS IN NON-EU NATIONS GETS GREEN LIGHT European Commission approves Berlin’s H2Global initiative, which offers a route to market for large-scale renewable hydrogen facilities around the world. A €900m ($1bn) plan to subsidise green hydrogen production in non-EU countries for import into Germany has been approved under EU state aid rules by the European Commission.

erlin launched the H2Global scheme earlier this year because it believes that Germany will not be able to produce enough affordable green hydrogen from renewable energy inside its own borders. The green light from Brussels will be great news for green hydrogen project developers from around the world, as the German scheme offers a route to market for their H2, which is generally more expensive than standard grey hydrogen derived from unabated fossil fuels. But the €900m is only expected to cover about 500MW of electrolyser projects, meaning that competition is likely to be fierce. Germany has already signed partnerships with Canada, Chile, Japan, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates to co-operate on green hydrogen. Countries with high solar irradiation and strong winds, or excess hydropower, are expected to be able to produce the lowestcost green hydrogen, as the more hours per day an electrolyser is in operation, the cheaper the H2 will be. However, the high cost of shipping hydrogen to the EU could eliminate savings made from lower-cost production. Last month, German think tank Agora Energiewende found that it would be cheaper to produce hydrogen in Europe than import it, but that the opposite would be true for ammonia derived from green H2. The European Commission ruled on Monday (20 December) that the state aid provided by Germany is “necessary and has an incentive effect, as the projects would not take place in the absence of public support”.

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“This €900m German scheme will support projects leading to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in line [with] the EU’s environmental and climate objectives set out in the Green Deal,” said competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager. “It will contribute to addressing the increasing demand for renewable hydrogen in the Union, by supporting the development of this important energy source in areas of the world where it is currently not exploited with a view to importing it and selling it in the EU. The design of the scheme will enable only the most cost effective projects to be supported, reducing costs for taxpayers and minimising possible distortions of competition.”

Under the H2Global scheme, a new Hydrogen Intermediary Network Company (to be known as Hint.Co) would buy and sell the imported green hydrogen. It would issue requests for proposals for the production of renewable H2, or derivatives such as green ammonia, green methanol and e-kerosene, with individual projects outside the EU then bidding into tenders, with Hint.Co awarding ten-year hydrogen purchase agreements (HPAs) to the winners. All the bidders would need to contribute to the construction of new renewables projects, as H2 made from existing energy supplies are not allowed under the scheme. The state-owned company would then tender one-year hydrogen service agreements (HSAs) to potential off-takers in Germany such as steel, chemicals or transport companies. Hint.Co would offset the added cost of using green hydrogen — compared to cheaper grey H2 made from unabated natural gas — in a similar way to Contracts for Difference. In other words, the intermediary would pay the difference between the lowest bid price for H2 production and the highest selling price for hydrogen consumption. The company would also act as a guarantor for both the supply and demand of green hydrogen, to help enable cheap finance for the projects. Source: rechargenews

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Hydrogen HYDROGEN ENERGY A CONTROVERSIAL PRIORITY IN NEW MEXICO’S UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION Push for hydrogen energy pushed as alternative to oil and gas, feared as a dangerous fossil fuel. An emerging hydrogen energy industry was a key priority of the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham during the regular 2022 Legislative Session scheduled to commence next month.

nd while the governor and other policy leaders in New Mexico touted hydrogen as a cleaner, less-polluting energy source than higher-carbon fuels like oil and gas, environmentalists in Lujan Grisham’s state criticized the effort as perpetuating the state’s reliance on fossil fuels.

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Earlier this year, Lujan Grisham announced the Hydrogen Hub Act, a bill intended to be introduced during the January 30-day lawmaking session to help build the sector in New Mexico. Thirty-day sessions are typically reserved for budgetary issues, but the governor has the power to set other priorities. She said she hoped to establish New Mexico as a primary state in the development of the U.S. hydrogen energy, part of a broader goal to shift the state and country away from its reliance on oil and gas and to address the impacts of pollution on climate change. The Act would provide tax incentives to attract companies to New Mexico aiming to develop hydrogen power, requiring such projects be below a specified threshold of carbon emissions, which would decrease every two years. Such incentives would not be available for hydrogen produced using fresh water, and the act would also create workforce training programs for the industry in New Mexico. “Leaders around the world acknowledge the enormous potential that clean hydrogen holds for our economy and for our environment,” Lujan Grisham said. “But the time for action is now, and my administration is committed to fostering a clean hydrogen economy that carries New Mexico to net zero by 2050.”

The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) announced in December about $7.6 million in grant funding for emission reduction projects in the transportation sector, with a preference for hydrogen based on auto-industry trends. The funding was provided by a national settlement with Volkswagen and the Clean Diesel Program through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Diesel Emission Reduction Act. Eligible projects included the replacement of freight trucks, school or transit buses and locomotives. NMED reported it would give priority to projects using hydrogen fuel cell technology. “Hydrogen fuel cells do not emit greenhouse gases, contribute to ozone formation (smog) or emit other pollutants that cause respiratory health problems,” NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney. “We look forward to receiving innovative project proposals that further our thriving clean energy economy across the state.”

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ENVIRONMENTALISTS ASSERT HYDROGEN POWER STILL A POLLUTING FOSSIL FUEL But despite its purported environmental benefits, groups in New Mexico were doubtful of hydrogen’s ability to wrestle the state’s economy away from fossil fuels and decrease pollution. They argued that most U.S. hydrogen production required fossil fuels, and that burning hydrogen was worse for the environment than coal. To produce hydrogen for energy, it is extracted from fossil fuels, biomass, water or a mixture. The U.S. Department of Energy considered hydrogen a “clean fuel” as it requires no combustion to produce and only generates water as a byproduct. The International Energy Agency (IEA) reported natural gas is presently the primary global source of hydrogen, accounting for about 75 percent worldwide, followed by goal, oil and electricity. Renewable energy could be an emerging source of the power, the IEA report read, as the costs of solar and wind power declined. This could increase interest in electrolytic hydrogen, read the report. “The production cost of hydrogen from natural gas is influenced by a range of technical and economic factors, with gas prices and capital expenditures being the two most important,” read the EIA report.

“The suggestion that hydrogen constitutes an alternative to fossil fuel extraction is an explosive smokescreen that masks the truth,” Wilson said. “This proposed legislation will not only increase fossil fuel extraction but will also accelerate the dangerous emissions driving climate change. It is a proposal that must be rejected on all levels.” Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director at Santa Fe-based environmental non-profit WildEarth Guardians said the proposed hydrogen development would lead to expanded use of hydraulic fracturing to extract precursors of the energy source and would continue to threaten the environment. He said Lujan Grisham’s proposal was contrary to her priority of addressing climate concerns. “With spills, leaks, and explosions happening daily, the oil and gas industry has proven it’s no friend to New Mexicans,” Nichols said. “We can’t frack our way to a safe climate. Any efforts that propel more fracking are dangerous, destructive, and diametrically at odds with meaningful climate action.”

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Hydrogen WILL HYDROGEN TRANSITION NEW MEXICO FROM OIL AND GAS? The offered incentives in the Act would likely go to fossil fuel producers, argued Erik Schlenker-Goodrich with the Western Environmental Law Center, supporting an industry he said should be curbed to undo threats to public health. He said New Mexico should focus on building its renewable energy sectors like wind and solar. “Fossil gas hydrogen isn’t a climate solution and it’s problematic to throw state taxpayer subsidies at fossil gas hydrogen developers and their investors under the pretext that this will somehow trickle down to the benefit of New Mexico communities and workers,” Schlenker-Goodrich said. “The state should focus its resources on transforming New Mexico into a global climate and renewable energy leader that prioritizes protection of the land, communities, and working families–not powerful oil and gas interests.” During a speech earlier this year before the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association – a trade group representing fossil fuel producers throughout the state – Lujan Grisham said it was the fossil fuel industry that would lead the development of hydrogen in New Mexico toward a lowercarbon energy supply.

“This is another place where New Mexico leads, and we don’t get to lead in the hydrogen space without the companies and the men and women who are represented right here today in this room,” Lujan Grisham said to the oil and gas companies in attendance. New Mexico’s Democrat U.S. Sens. Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan also supported the governor’s initiative, introducing a package of bill to Congress earlier this year to support hydrogen’s use in the shipping and construction sectors along with providing power for homes and transportation. “Clean hydrogen offers real potential as a solution to these challenges, and it could prove to be a major new economic driver in energy producing communities,” Heinrich said.

A BAD YEAR FOR HYDROGEN STOCKS WAS A GOOD YEAR FOR HYDROGEN COMPANIES The sector’s growth prospects are more sensibly valued after a year of deflating stock prices and industrial progress. After a gravity-defying 2020, hydrogen stocks have drifted back toward Earth this year. Investor expectations are now better pitched for a sector offering huge growth prospects but on a still-uncertain, subsidy-dependent time scale.

any shares associated with “green hydrogen,” which is made by splitting water using renewable energy, have more than halved from their early-year peaks. The explanation lies mainly in last year’s wild rally. Over two and three years, stocks such as British electrolyzer maker ITM Power and Canadian fuel-cell specialist Ballard Power Systems are still up strongly.

Source: currentargus

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As Wall Street has cooled on hydrogen, industry activity has heated up. By November 2021, the cumulative number of largescale projects announced had doubled since January to 522, according to the Hydrogen Council. Nearly three-quarters are expected to be partially or fully commissioned this decade, and of those, two-fifths are already funded or under construction. After many false dawns, the gas seems to be coming of age, primarily as a low-carbon fuel for sectors that can’t use electricity to decarbonize, such as steel and cement. Government incentives are still crucial, because in many places carbon prices don’t cover the extra cost and most customers aren’t yet willing to pay more for green steel or cement. In these early stages, policy has power, particularly in coordinating the growth of supply and demand to avoid costly mismatches. Europe is an early leader, with both the EU and individual countries offering dedicated strategies and generous incentives. The region’s politicians want to ensure their homegrown companies aren’t left behind as they were on solar panels, batteries and digital companies. Dependency on politicians also comes with drawbacks: Continuing discussions in Brussels on industry rules mean “projects are on hold,” says Pierre-Étienne Franc, chairman of FiveT Hydrogen, an investment fund. Still, he expects the completion of these regulations to release significant financial support for hydrogen projects. While Beijing is still working on its national hydrogen strategy, it has offered some incentives, and China’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2060 has already prompted some state-owned companies to invest in the gas. For example, oil giant Sinopec recently said it was building a solar-powered greenhydrogen electrolyzer that is an order of magnitude larger than European projects.

“

The rise of China on hydrogen has been absolutely staggering, and most of the quadrupling to sextupling that we are expecting next year is also coming from China,” says Martin Tengler, hydrogen analyst at BloombergNEF.

Australia is also a leader, with well-developed plans to export hydrogen, which is seen as a fuel for power and transport in Japan and South Korea. While U.S. policy has lagged behind, President Biden’s now-stalled “Build Back Better” bill does include a production tax credit for green hydrogen. This would be a powerful incentive if it makes it through to law. Electrolyzer makers are among the clearest beneficiaries of the industry’s growth. Adam Collins, an analyst at Liberum Capital, forecasts that ITM, Nel and McPhy could have 10%, 8% and 2% long-term market share, respectively, of what he expects to be a profitable global business boosted by high-margin after-sales, a shortage of production capacity this decade and a possible stimulus-induced pickup in the U.S. Source: livemint

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Hydrogen GOVT PLANNING TO BLEND 15 PER CENT GREEN HYDROGEN WITH PIPED NATURAL GAS The move is in line with India’s ambitious target of becoming carbon neutral by 2070. The government is planning to blend 15 per cent green hydrogen with piped natural gas (PNG) for domestic, commercial and industrial consumption. The move is in line with India’s ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and becoming carbon neutral by 2070. This initiative will be part of the government’s National Hydrogen Energy Mission aimed at generating hydrogen from green power sources.

arlier this year, Power Minister R K Singh had announced that the government will bring green hydrogen under renewable purchase obligation (RPO), which essentially means that bulk buyers such as Discoms and captive users have to buy a certain proportion of renewable energy (RE) out of their total power requirement. A similar mechanism will be created for hydrogen and it will be called hydrogen purchase obligation (HPO).

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SOON, HPO MANDATORY A senior government official said that at present, a note by the Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) on the hydrogen mission has been circulated among stakeholders ministries including Power, New & Renewable Energy and Petroleum & Natural Gas. The HPO will cover industries like oil refineries and fertiliser plants, which use grey hydrogen. The idea is to create demand for green hydrogen. HPO is likely to come from 2023. “Government plans to float bids for manufacturing green hydrogen, which will be supplied to fertiliser units and petroleum refineries. Similarly, the plan is also to supply green hydrogen for PNG. The government will offer free transmission (of power) for this like in the case of RE. The objective is to blend 15 per cent green hydrogen with PNG, as it is technically viable. Beyond this, the gas pipeline would have to be refurbished,” the official explained. The EPC still has to receive comments from some stakeholders. After the EFC takes a final decision on the mission objectives based on discussion with the ministries, it will be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval, the official added.

UPSIDE OF HYDRO ENERGY Hydrogen is a flexible energy carrier and can be used for many energy applications like integration of renewables and transportation. It is produced using RE and electrolysis to split water and is distinct from grey hydrogen, which is produced from methane and releases greenhouse gases. Energy can be extracted from hydrogen through combustion or through fuel cells, which emit only water as a by-product.

Several countries in Europe and North America are experimenting on mixing green hydrogen with PNG. For instance, in the UK, power utilities are blending hydrogen into pipelines to fuel power plants, industrial applications and to serve homes. The mixing is around 15-20% in some networks. Besides, there are various pilot projects on hydrogen blending with PNG being tested in countries like the Netherlands, Germany, France, Australia, South Korea and Japan.

DISADVANTAGES However, using hydrogen has its own disadvantages. According to a study by the US Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in 2013, “How it (hydrogen) affects the pipelines it travels in and appliances that use it. On the pipeline front, hydrogen embrittlement can weaken metal or polyethylene pipes and increase leakage risks, particularly in high-pressure pipes”. Hydrogen embrittlement is a situation when the metal (pipeline) becomes brittle due to diffusion of hydrogen into the material. The extent of embrittlement depends on the amount of hydrogen and the material’s microstructure. The National Hydrogen Energy Mission will have specific strategy for short term (4 years) and broad strokes principles for long term (10 years and beyond). It aims to develop India into a global hub for manufacturing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies across the value chain. Toward this end, a framework to support manufacturing through suitable incentives and facilitation aligned with ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ will be developed.

WORLD’S FIRST LIQUEFIED HYDROGEN TANKER DEPARTS FROM JAPAN

The world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier left Japan to pick up its first cargo in Australia, with a return to Japan expected around late February, Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd said.

he A$500 million ($362 million) pilot project, led by Japan’s Kawasaki and backed by the Japanese and Australian governments, was originally scheduled to ship its first cargo of hydrogen extracted from brown coal in Australia in the spring. But it was delayed to the second half of Kawasaki’s financial year, which runs from October to March, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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“It depends on the weather, but the hydrogen carrier ‘Suiso Frontier’ is due to arrive in Australia in mid-January and is expected to return to Japan in around late February,” a spokesperson said.

A one-way trip takes about 16 days. Kawasaki Heavy aims to replicate its success as a major liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker producer with hydrogen, a key element that may help decarbonise industries and aid the global energy transition. In March this year, the Japanese-Australian venture started producing hydrogen from brown coal in the test project that aims to show liquefied hydrogen can be produced and exported safely to Japan. Partners on the Australian side of the project include Japan’s Electric Power Development Co (J-Power), Iwatani Corp, Marubeni Corp, Sumitomo Corp and Australia’s AGL Energy Ltd, whose mine is supplying the brown coal. Source: gcaptain

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Hydrogen

TEAM PROPOSES ‘NANO-CHOCOLATES’ AS A NEW WAY TO STORE HYDROGEN An innovative approach could turn nanoparticles into simple reservoirs for storing hydrogen. The highly volatile gas is considered a promising energy carrier for the future, which could provide climate-friendly fuels for airplanes, ships and trucks, for example, as well as allowing climate-friendly steel and cement production—depending on how the hydrogen gas is generated.

owever, storing hydrogen is costly: Either the gas has to be kept in pressurized tanks, at up to 700 bar, or it must be liquified, which means cooling it down to minus 253 degrees Celsius. Both procedures consume additional energy. A team led by Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)’s Andreas Stierle has laid the foundations for an alternative method: Storing hydrogen in tiny nanoparticles made of the precious metal palladium, just 1.2 nanometers in diameter.

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The fact that palladium can absorb hydrogen like a sponge has been known for some time. “However, until now getting the hydrogen out of the material again has posed a problem,” Stierle explains. “That’s why we are trying palladium particles that are only about one nanometer across.” A nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter.

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To ensure that the tiny particles are sufficiently sturdy, they are stabilized by a core made of the rare precious metal iridium. In addition, they are attached to a graphene support, an extremely thin layer of carbon. “We are able to attach the palladium particles to the graphene at intervals of just two and a half nanometers,” reports Stierle, who is the head of the DESY NanoLab. “This results in a regular, periodic structure.” The team, which also includes researchers from the Universities of Cologne and Hamburg, published its findings in the American Chemical Society (ACS) journal ACS Nano.

DESY’s X-ray source PETRA III was used to observe what happens when the palladium particles come into contact with hydrogen: Essentially, the hydrogen sticks to the nanoparticles’ surfaces, with hardly any of it penetrating inside. The nanoparticles can be pictured as resembling chocolates: An iridium nut at the center, enveloped in a layer of palladium, rather than marzipan, and chocolate-coated on the outside by the hydrogen. All it takes to recover the stored hydrogen is for a small amount of heat to be added; the hydrogen is rapidly released from the surface of the particles, because the gas molecules don’t have to push their way out from inside the cluster.

“Next, we want to find out what storage densities can be achieved using this new method,” says Stierle. However, some challenges still need to be overcome before proceeding to practical applications. For example, other forms of carbon structures might be a more suitable carrier than graphene—the experts are considering using carbon sponges, containing tiny pores. Substantial amounts of the palladium nanoparticles should fit inside these. The latest issue of DESY’s research magazine, femto, looks into this and other innovative concepts for the hydrogen economy and a sustainable energy supply. The magazine explains how fundamental research can contribute to innovations for the energy transition. This is not only about using hydrogen as an energy carrier, but also about sustainable solar cells and novel forms of energy generation, as well as achieving greater energy efficiencies in research itself, when operating large particle accelerators, for instance. Source: phys

OIL INDIA INITIATES FIRST PHYSICAL GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT The company said, “To strengthen its bouquet of clean energy offerings”, the company has initiated action for setting up a 100 kW green hydrogen plant at its Pump station-3 in Jorhat.”

il India Limited (OIL), the second-largest government-owned hydrocarbon exploration and production corporation is setting up the first physical plant using AEM Technology for Green Hydrogen in the Jorhat district of Assam. The company said, “To strengthen its bouquet of clean energy offerings”, the company has initiated action for setting up a 100 kW green hydrogen plant at its Pump station-3 in Jorhat.”

Shri P K Goswami, Director (Operations), Oil India Limited carried out the Bhumi Puja on site after the meeting held out at PS3 Jorhat. However Green hydrogen is among the news right now because of the government’s pitch toward the oil companies to manufacture and refine petroleum through the green hydrogen process. Source: psuconnect

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Hydrogen

WELCOME TO THE GREEN HYDROGEN CENTURY

Whitaker Irvin, Jr. is CEO of Q Hydrogen, which is developing a new technology for turning water into clean, efficient, renewable hydrogen.

e need clean energy for two key reasons right now: to meet an ever-growing worldwide demand for fuel and to reduce carbon emissions scientists have demonstrated are warming our atmosphere. According to NASA, “It is undeniable that human activities have warmed the atmosphere, ocean, and land and that widespread and rapid changes in the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere, and biosphere have occurred.” In February 2021, the U.S. became one of 195 signatories to the Paris Agreement, a United Nations initiative to strengthen the global response to climate change. Coal and oil has been our preferred sources of energy since the 19th century, but nearly 200 years of global consumption of fossil fuels has depleted their supply and created other environmental consequences. There has been much discussion lately of solar and wind power, as well as nuclear power alternatives. To date, hydrogen has only played a small supporting role in the world’s energy story, but that may be about to change.

HYDROGEN AS ENERGY Hydrogen is a potentially carbon-free fuel that, when consumed in a fuel cell, produces only water vapor. It is also an energy carrier that can store, move and deliver energy produced from other sources. It’s a truly attractive fuel option for transportation and electricity generation applications. The emerging applications of hydrogen today include the industrial sector (e.g., metals refining), liquid fuels (e.g., biofuels and synfuels),

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heat generation, energy storage and transportation. The problem with hydrogen is how it is produced. The two industrial methods for production, steam reformation of methane and electrolysis, are more energy-intensive than the hydrogen they create. This is the largest hurdle between where we are now and the hydrogen economy.

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PRODUCING HYDROGEN: GRAY, BLUE AND GREEN Producing hydrogen from natural gas gives us gray hydrogen. This is the most cost-effective method of producing hydrogen fuel, but it requires enormous amounts of natural gas and produces a significant amount of carbon dioxide, one of the main causes of global warming (hydrogen can also be extracted from methane, but this also results in the release of carbon). When the carbon dioxide released during the production of gray hydrogen is stored underground, the resulting hydrogen fuel is known as blue hydrogen. Blue hydrogen, while better for the environment than gray hydrogen, is more expensive to produce. As you might have guessed, green hydrogen is hydrogen fuel produced without any carbon emissions. The problem? Green hydrogen is currently produced by electrolyzing water, but this process requires a green power source such as solar or wind power. While this sounds attractive, the amount of energy required is massive. The U.S., for example, hasn’t yet sufficiently developed the solar and wind energy plants required to power electrolyzers at scale. Currently only 1% of all hydrogen fuel is created using green technology.

THE HYDROGEN MARKET For a long time, it seemed we were decades from an economically viable method of producing this truly clean fuel at scale and, even then, the costs would only approximate those of producing gray hydrogen. Even with these significant challenges to the creation of the hydrogen economy, Goldman Sachs predicts the hydrogen generation market may exceed $11 trillion by 2050, driven by global demand for zero-carbon emissions. According to a 2020 study by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, demand for hydrogen in the U.S. could reach 41 million metric tons per year by 2050, up from only 10 million today. In April of this year, the White House announced its plan to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050

and to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This will further drive clean energy production and, specifically, our nascent hydrogen economy.

NEW FRONTIERS IN HYDROGEN PRODUCTION So, is it possible to produce green hydrogen from water with no carbon emissions and at a lower cost than any other method? With only water vapor as a byproduct? With no excess heat? The answer is yes, thanks to turbines, which have been with us since James Watt patented reaction and impulse turbines in 1784. Though they are almost 250 years old, a new type of turbine (full disclosure: produced by my company) may have found the greenest possible method to produce hydrogen fuel. The use of these turbines neither requires nor creates heat, and the price is expected to be competitive. My company’s turbines are just one of many competing initiatives aimed at bringing down the price of green hydrogen and kicking off a viable hydrogen economy. These range from enhancing conventional steam reforming of methane and “burying” the co-produced carbon dioxide, thereby producing blue hydrogen, to using plasma technology to separate biological wastes. Nuclear reactors are being used to produce hydrogen, with the excess heat used to enhance the efficiency of electrolysis. Another type of green hydrogen is produced using pyrolysis, heating methane and potentially other hydrocarbons in an oxygen-free reactor to produce hydrogen and solid carbon products. Hydrogen can also be directly produced using solar power to drive electrolysis in stand-alone panels. The acid test is, of course, how much green hydrogen produced using these methods will cost. All these new technologies are fighting the difficult developmental battle to lower costs to economical ranges. In the end, it’s best if multiple methods succeed in driving down prices to make hydrogen a truly cost-efficient and green power source for everyone. The hydrogen economy? Coming soon. Source: forbes

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EV & HYDROGEN_JAN 2022

Hydrogen

COMING SOON:

ROOFTOP HYDROGEN

Why do many in academia and industry see the future in small-sized hydrogen generators? Rooftop solar is passé. The upcoming thing is rooftop hydrogen. It is still some years away, but many in the scientific community and industry believe it is certainly happening.

magine a contrivance on your rooftop — an electrolyser — to which is attached a cylinder, or pipes leading to a big tank in your basement. You fill a chamber in the device with water. The next day, your cylinder or tank is full of hydrogen — a fuel for your car or the cookstove. The problem with rooftop solar in India has had a lot to do with the intransigence of the various state-owned electricity distribution companies. 48

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The lack of an assured offtake for surplus energy generated and the low prices offered for it have hampered rooftop solar growth in India. Storing solar electricity in batteries has been an expensive proposition, though the sharp fall in battery costs is promising. However, since the world is moving swiftly into hydrogen, there is an alternative for the batteries. www.EQMagPro.com

Here again, one could make use of the electricity from the rooftop solar plant to split water right on the roof to produce hydrogen; better still, there are emergent technologies that are making possible photolysis — splitting water directly using sunlight, without the interface of electricity — using photoelectrochemical cells (PEC). Prof Aravind Kumar Chandiran, who heads the Solar Energy Research Group at IIT Madras, had announced in August the development of “a new material” (a ‘distorted hallide perovskite’) that can be used to split water under sunlight. Prof Mohammed Qureshi of IIT Guwahati announced recently that his team developed a catalyst (cobalt-tin layered double hydroxide and bismuth vanadate) that, when used as a ‘photoanode’, can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Prof Qureshi told Quantum that it would be too early to comment whether this could be downsized for a rooftop plant, but many others in the academia and industry feel small-sized hydrogen generators will be ubiquitous in the future. Even if you want to keep aside technologies for splitting water directly from sunlight and look only at conventional electrolysis, there is plenty evidence to indicate that small-scale hydrogen plants are arriving.

Companies like the Scotland-based Pure Energy Centre and the Spain-based H2B2 already make small electrolysers.

SIZE DOES NOT MATTER

THE COST FACTOR

“Fundamental physics says that these are technologies where size does not matter,” says Arne Ballantine, CEO and co-founder of Ohmium, a US-headquartered company that has started producing electrolysers from Bengaluru. “Yes, the idea of ‘rooftop hydrogen’ becomes very, very real,” Ballantine said, adding, “We are moving past the world of chemical plants where the most efficient way to make hydrogen was with a huge installation.

Of course, today the cost is an issue — one estimate pegs it at around $7.50 a kg for rooftop hydrogen, because of the electrolyser costs; but then, solar photovoltaic modules, too, were selling at over a dollar a watt-peak before they fell to a fifth in less than five years. As electrolyser manufacturing gains ground, scale will help bring down the cost.

A newly set-up company called Hydrogenium Resources is talking to rooftop solar installers to put up small electrolysers alongside solar plants to produce hydrogen from surplus solar power, the company’s Executive Chairman, Umesh Sachdev, has told Quantum. Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, Chairman of Enapter, a German company that produces electrolysers, has spoken of devices the size of a microwave oven. They can be married to a rooftop solar plant. In a press release in February 2020, Schmidt said, “Today, we need only 4.4 kWhr of electricity to produce one cubic metre of hydrogen.” Now, 4.4 kWhr of electricity is typically the output of a 1 kW rooftop solar plant.

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“Demand for hydrogen is expected to grow by a factor of 1,000 or more by 2030 and decentralised systems producing the gas on-site, with no transportation cost, will make a huge difference,” Schmidt said. Clearly, hydrogen can be produced (and consumed) by households on rooftops, or from other on-premise plants. Ballantine is emphatic about it. “Electrochemical hydrogen generation — water electrolysis — will follow patterns of semiconductors and chips. Mini-, micro-, and nano-structuring will win again and again,” he says.

The key enablers for rooftop hydrogen are the ‘cold-start’ and ‘rapid start-stop’ cycling capabilities,” says Chock Karuppiah, CTO at Ohmium. On the splitting of water directly from sunlight, without using electricity, Karuppiah said photoelectrochemical systems “might look like an ideal solution”, but there are many challenges to overcome. “The design of a single device solution needs to balance between many needs (properties of light, ionic species, electrical flows, liquid water and gaseous hydrogen). It is very hard to do that well in a single device,” Karuppiah said. The integration of solar cells and electrolysis cells will lead to faster commercial implementation, he added. Source: thehindubusinessline

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Hydrogen

ELON MUSK HAS STRONG VIEWS ON HYDROGEN...

NOT EVERYONE AGREES Electric vehicles have batteries that need to be charged by plugging the vehicle into a charging point, whereas fuel cell vehicles utilize hydrogen gas and “generate their electricity onboard.” Firms including Toyota and Hyundai have produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, while smaller manufacturers such as Riversimple are also working on hydrogen-powered cars. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously described hydrogen fuel-cells as “extremely silly,” but his views aren’t shared by everyone in the autos sector.

esla CEO Elon Musk has a history of expressing strong opinions about hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells. A few years ago, when the subject came up during a discussion with reporters at the Automotive News World Congress, the billionaire and electric vehicle magnate described hydrogen fuel cells as “extremely silly.” “It’s just very difficult … to make hydrogen and store it and use it in a car,” Musk said. “The best-case hydrogen fuel cell doesn’t win against the current case batteries, so then, obviously … it doesn’t make sense,” he added later. “That will become apparent in the next few years. There’s … no reason for us to have this debate, I’ve said … my piece on this, it will be super obvious as time goes by, I don’t know what more to say.” In the time since those remarks, Musk’s views don’t seem to have changed much, if at all. In June 2020 he tweeted “fuel cells = fool sells,” adding in July of that year: “hydrogen fool sells make no sense.” Musk was not immediately available to comment on whether his views on hydrogen had changed when contacted via Tesla by CNBC.

THE TECH First things first: What underpins the tech Musk seems so skeptical of? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes hydrogen fuel cell vehicles — which are also known as fuel cell electric vehicles — as being “similar to electric vehicles … in that they use an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine to power the wheels.” The key difference is that electric vehicles have batteries that need to be charged by plugging the vehicle into a charging point.

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Fuel cell vehicles, on the other hand, utilize hydrogen gas and, according to the EPA, “generate their electricity onboard.” Put simply, with fuel cells, hydrogen gas from a tank mixes with oxygen, producing electricity. A fuel cell electric vehicle emits “only water vapor and warm air”, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center says.

A RANGE OF VIEWS Musk is not alone when it comes to being unconvinced about the use of hydrogen in cars. In February of this year, Herbert Diess, the CEO of German automotive powerhouse Volkswagen Group, weighed in on the subject. “It’s time for politicians to accept science,” he tweeted. “Green hydrogen is needed for steel, chemical, aero … and should not end up in cars. Far too expensive, inefficient, slow and difficult to rollout and transport. After all: no #hydrogen cars in sight.” Musk and Diess are two high-profile figures at the helm of major companies with huge influence and reach. What they say carries weight. It would appear, however, that their views aren’t shared by everyone in the autos sector. To date, firms including Toyota and Hyundai have produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, while smaller manufacturers such as Riversimple are also working on hydrogen-powered cars. In June, the BMW Group said it had started to test vehicles that use a hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain, with the company describing hydrogen fuel cell tech as having the “long term potential to supplement internal combustion engines, plug-in hybrid systems and battery-electric vehicles.” Although these products obviously don’t account for the bulk of car sales at this moment in time — Riversimple won’t actually sell its cars, offering them on a subscription service instead — that such a range of companies are working on fuel-cell offerings at all shows some see potential in the technology. “Fuel cell cars will certainly play a part in decarbonizing transport,” a spokesperson for Toyota told CNBC. “As and when refueling infrastructure expands, they will offer a convenient alternative form of electrified transport over a fully electric BEV [battery-powered electric vehicles],” they said. Toyota viewed hydrogen “as an alternative to fossil fuels in all manner of settings, including heating, lighting, haulage, mass transit and heavy industry,” the spokesperson said. “The range of hydrogen applications will increase, enabling cheaper, more efficient power supply and we’ll increasingly see hydrogen powering cars, buses, trains and trucks,” they added. In a statement sent to CNBC, the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association expressed a similar viewpoint. Fuel cell electric vehicles and hydrogen energy, the FCHEA said, offered customers “a zero-emission option with performance they expect and no change to daily routines — long range, quick refueling, and the ability to scale to larger platforms without adding restrictive weight and size.” www.EQMagPro.com

The FCHEA went on to say there was a “tremendous opportunity for fuel cell electric cars and fuel cellpowered material handling vehicles.” “Also, given the limitations of battery weight and recharging for long haul trucking, a significant opportunity also exists for medium- and heavy-duty delivery vans, trucks, buses, trains, and planes,” it said. Indeed, as governments around the world attempt to develop low and zero emission transportation systems, the notion of using hydrogen fuel cells in larger vehicles is starting to be explored by a broad range of companies. In a recent interview with CNBC, the CEO of Daimler Truck was asked about the debate between batteryelectric and hydrogen fuel cells. Balance, Martin Daum argued, was key.“We go for both, because both … make sense,” he said, going on to explain how different technologies would be appropriate in different scenarios. “In general, you can say: If you go to city delivery where you need lower amounts of energy in there, you can charge overnight in a depot, then it’s certainly battery electric,” Daum said. “But the moment you’re on the road, the moment you go from Stockholm to Barcelona … in my opinion, you need something which you can transport better and where you can refuel better and that is ultimately H2.” “The ruling is not out, but I think it’s too risky for a company our size to go with just one technology.”

VERSATILITY Daum’s comments on fuel cells touch upon the idea that they could, eventually, find a home in heavier forms of transport covering long distances, hauling cargo and, in some cases, ferrying people from one destination to another. He’s not alone in taking this view. The European transport giant Alstom, for instance, has developed the Coradia iLint, which it describes as “the world’s first passenger train powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.” In aviation, plans to operate commercial hydrogen-electric flights between London and Rotterdam were announced in October, with those behind the project hoping it will take to the skies in 2024. In construction, JCB, a major player in the sector, said last year that it had developed an excavator “powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.” Weighing 20 metric tons, the company said the vehicle had been tested for over 12 months, adding that the “only emission from the exhaust is water.” Source: cnbc

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