Triple the range of e-transporters: ABT e-Line fuel cell!

Thomas Wachsmuth 1 December 2022 -> Tuner from AZ, ABT Sportsline GmbH, Tips, products, information & Co.

Reading time 4 Min.

Transporters with combustion engines emit significant amounts of CO2. Although battery-based electric drives are locally emission-free, they are only an alternative within certain limits: Because their range is limited and recharging takes a lot of time. After all, daily stages of 800 km are common in express logistics, for which battery sizes of 300 kWh would be required without a charging stop. A comparison with the passenger car sector shows that this cannot be achieved in the transporter class. There, e-cars rarely have a battery capacity of more than 100 kWh, even in the premium segment.

ABT e-Line fuel cell

"We therefore see a sensible area of application for the hydrogen fuel cell in long-distance logistics," says Eric Plekkepoel, CEO of ABT e-Line GmbH, a subsidiary of the ABT Group that specializes in alternative drives. The company has gained a lot of experience in the integration of fuel cell drives in two major Tier 1 projects over the past three years. In the next step, two standard e-transporters were converted with this technology as demonstrator vehicles. These were presented for the first time at the IAA Transportation in Hanover at the end of September. The market demand is so great that the ABT e-Line decided to start series development with partners.

When constructing the demonstrator vehicles, the Kempten-based company took on the vehicle integration of the fuel cell system, the safety concept for the entire vehicle, the complete vehicle structure and road approval. A 700 bar hydrogen tank system was also integrated. Two to seven storage tanks can be refueled in a few minutes. Due to the vehicle architecture and the available installation space, the conversions posed a challenge. However, the effort was more than worth it: the implementation of the new drive concept resulted in a range increase of several hundred kilometers. Refueling is now even later than with comparable diesel models.

Even if the future of mobility will be mainly battery-electric for reasons of efficiency, the fuel cell offers enormous potential for niche applications, especially in the van sector. The energy density typical of hydrogen, which is far from being achievable with current battery technology, is a real USP when it comes to range. In addition, refueling is much quicker than recharging batteries. With fuel cell drives, ABT e-Line assumes the role of a technology driver and expert for the conception and implementation of market-ready small series.

Of course, that wasn't the end of it!

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