Ricardo invests in hydrogen development and testing facility
As part of its mission to support the decarbonisation of the global transport and energy sectors, Ricardo announced an initial investment of GBP2.5million (USD3 million) to build a hydrogen development and test facility at its Shoreham Technical Centre in the UK.
Designed to support the company’s existing work in hydrogen, fuel cells and green alternative fuels, the new facility will deliver state-of-the-art test and development to advance capability in both alternative fuels and electric vehicles.
UK-based Ricardo is a world-class environmental, engineering and strategic consulting company.
“We are already working with a range of clients on hydrogen and fuel cell technology, providing clean efficient solutions which reduce carbon and noxious emissions across a wide range of sectors. By building our hydrogen fuel cell and propulsion capability, we shall further advance our facilities and technology for clean vehicles across all transport sectors, and increase the range of hydrogen and fuel cell services and solutions that we can offer to our clients,” said Steve Dyke, managing director of Ricardo Automotive and Industrial.
A particular focus for the new facility will be a systems-led approach to vehicle development, integrating its testing capability with leading-edge digital and simulation tools to deliver fully optimised hardware and software system solutions.
This investment is a further boost to Ricardo’s hydrogen capability, following the company’s announcement on January 14, 2021 of a collaboration with AFC Energy plc aimed at identifying new and innovative alternative fuel solutions, including hydrogen power applications. Fuel cell test facilities with this level of capability to develop and test hydrogen technologies are rare across the globe, so this investment will accelerate Ricardo’s position as a leader in hydrogen transport technology.
The agreement will focus on the joint creation of hydrogen fuel cell product and service offerings, with an initial focus on marine, rail and stationary power generation. The collaboration will develop products and services that will directly support global efforts to decarbonise transport, energy and nationally critical infrastructure.
Combined with AFC Energy’s leading alkaline fuel cell technology platform, ‘H-Power’, the partnership will enable the design and delivery of high-quality and innovative solutions and explore new areas where both companies have a clear route to market.
The two companies have already jointly submitted proposals to energy network operators with a focus on addressing client needs related to strategic grid resilience and zero emission alternative power.
