United States – To expedite the industrialization of Nel’s proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer platform, Nel Hydrogen US, a division of Nel, has signed a cooperative development agreement with General Motors.
The two businesses hope to make more affordable sources of renewable hydrogen possible by combining GM’s substantial fuel cell technology and Nel’s in-depth understanding of electrolyzers.
The production line for alkaline electrolyzers at Nel was the first of its kind in the entire globe. The following stage will be to similarly industrialize the manufacture of its PEM electrolyzer machinery, which will allow for significant technological improvement.
The fundamentals of a fuel cell and a PEM electrolyzer are substantially the same. While a fuel cell does the process in reverse, using hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity and water, a PEM electrolyzer uses electricity and water to manufacture hydrogen and oxygen.
New opportunities
Both the HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell and Ultium battery technologies, which deliver where it counts most: performance and cost, are being developed and commercialized by GM. As a result, GM is gaining access to new revenue opportunities as sectors like freight transportation, aircraft, power generation, and locomotives look to GM to boost performance and cut emissions.
Depending on how much of the final product is based on GM technology, Nel will pay GM for the development work and IP transfer on an ongoing basis and a license fee following successful commercialization.
