The Energy Department announced SimpleFuel as the winner of the $1 million H2 Refuel H-Prize Competition. Launched in October 2014, the two-year H2 Refuel H-Prize Competition challenged America’s innovators to design, install, test and deploy on-site hydrogen refueling systems that can be used in homes, community centers, small businesses, or similar locations to generate and dispense hydrogen to small fleet vehicles.
SimpleFuel’s home scale refueling appliance can provide a 1-kilogram fill to vehicles in 15 minutes or less at 700 bar using hydrogen produced via electrolysis, with a cost-effective design that minimizes setback distances and reduces the physical footprint of the system. SimpleFuel is a collaboration of three companies: Ivys Energy Solutions (Massachusetts), McPhy Energy N.A. (Massachusetts), and PDC Machines (Pennsylvania).
Data collection began in September 2016 to evaluate the system based on the technical and cost criteria laid out in the guidelines. An open house was held on November 9, 2016, to provide an opportunity for the public to get a look at the system. Testing of Simple Fuel’s system was completed on December 21, 2016. Over 180 kilograms of hydrogen were dispensed and all the technical criteria were met during the testing phase.
Home fueling projects like these could be an integral part of the continued deployment of hydrogen infrastructure across the country to support more transportation energy options for U.S. consumers.
Source: Energy Department
