E-Mobility Engineering 017 l ECE Doosan electric excavators dossier l In Conversation: Matt Faulks l Battery testing focus l Battery Show North America 2022 report l Ariel Hipercar digest l Cathode materials insight l Thermal management focus

notes. “We’re not anti-battery; they actually form a key part of how our powertrains function, but vehicle mass is compounded terribly when you try to satisfy HGV ranges with packs alone. “Hydrogen is hundreds of times more energy-dense than batteries, which is why it works so well for vehicles with high power output requirements and high duty cycles, such as trucks and hypercars.” Also, Viritech is fuel cell-agnostic, and can effectively use any type as its FCEVs’ power plants. Faulks expresses a particular interest in high-temperature PEM fuel cells (PEMFCs) and lauds the scale production of PEMFCs by Toyota and Bosch as well as the innovative PCBFC (printed circuit board fuel cell) designs of Bramble Energy, noting that the breadth of innovation in fuel cells makes it inefficient to put all of Viritech’s eggs in one basket. That is why little of the company’s IP is in membrane electrode assemblies, bipolar plates or other technologies that are key to hydrogen fuel cell stacks. Its r&d has gone far more heavily into the energy management systems needed to balance the loads between battery and fuel cell across the driving envelope of an FCEV. Energy management innovations In the pursuit of efficiency, Viritech decided early on that using the fuel cell purely as a range extender would effectively mean combining the worst of both worlds into its powertrains. “Nor were we going to copy Toyota’s approach, although optimising FCEV parts to work with an existing production line is genius,” Faulks muses. “But on the surface, the Apricale and [Toyota] Mirai seem to function in the same way: a fuel cell provides cruising power while a battery powers the transients. But the Mirai works using a roughly 130 kW PEMFC with a small battery that covers the transients while the fuel cell ramps up; that means its peak power is 130 kW. “Through our Tri-Volt energy management architecture though, our peak deployable power has nothing to do with the FC’s size. Our ranges aren’t constrained by our battery sizes, and our performances aren’t constrained by our fuel cell sizes, so we don’t need a whopping great 800 kW fuel cell or a huge and heavy battery, which is critical to building a lightweight e-hypercar. “Instead we can just use a 200 kW fuel cell, as well as a lightweight for an easier, simpler way out. That mentality of sticking with it and pushing a little more – so long as there’s a commercial case for it and we think we can solve the challenge it presents – is something I’ve tried to bring to every project I’ve worked on. If we’re going to make zero-emissions HGVs, [heavy goods vehicles], aircraft and ships a reality in time to make a meaningful difference to climate change, we need that mentality.” Hydrogen engineering Viritech is best-known for the Apricale, its 800 kW (1088 bhp) hydrogen-electric hypercar. Weighing just under 1000 kg with a carbon monocoque chassis and a Pininfarina-designed body of recycled carbon and natural fibre, it has a top speed of more than 200 mph running on Dymag wheels and Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres. It has a range of about 350 miles, derived from 5.4 kg of hydrogen gas (pressurised to 700 bar) with a 6 kWh lithium-NMC battery pack configured for an 800 V DC output. At the time of writing, the FCEV was in its late stages of testing, and production facilities are in development, on track for the car’s commercial release in 2023. Although the Apricale has been front and centre of Viritech’s marketing to date, Faulks says the car’s true raison d’etre is actually the development and proving of technologies that will one day go into hydrogen-electric HGVs (licensed or produced by Viritech for use by OEMs and Tier 1s as required), as well as future heavy-duty vehicles on land, air and sea. These include looking at which supply chains can be used or created to fulfil scale production of Viritech’s key enabling technologies, and hence help remove the obstacles to hydrogen powertrain and fuel cell EV adoption. “HGVs contribute a massive amount to road pollution, and the heavier the vehicle, the better hydrogen fits as the energy carrier for electrifying it,” Faulks The company uses SiC transistors in its power management systems to enable the accelerations necessary for electrifying hypercars as well as HGVs January/February 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering 17 InConversation | Matt Faulks