Fuel cells have promise in transport applications ranging from cars to ocean ships where they are competing with well-established technologies. As a complicated and disruptive technology, fuel cells require specialized knowledge to integrate into devices and systems. This is a huge barrier to fuel cell use in companies that don't have existing experience with, or confidence in fuel cell technologies.
Virtual-FCS will develop a fully open source software-hardware (cyber-physical) tool that can be adopted as a global standard for fuel cell system design. This platform will enable a system integrator, with limited fuel cell experience, to rapidly design a fuel cell battery hybrid powertrain for their specific application. The platform will make this development as quick as for combustion- or battery powertrains and give the integrator confidence that the system will meet their performance, reliability and durability requirements.
The VIRTUAL-FCS project brings together a group of experienced fuel cell specialists to develop the platform (SINTEF, Ballard, FC Lab) along with several system integrators or end users of fuel cells who are leading organizations in their specific field, Westcon (Maritime), Banke (Heavy Duty Vehicles), Vivarail (Rail) and Solaris (Buses)
There is an ambition for VIRTUAL-FCS' website, tools and training material to become a standard 'entry point' for all systems developers globally to learn about fuel cells and how to build them into systems.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 875087
For more info about the project, see the projects homepage.