WAE Technologies (WAE) revealed its latest hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle at this year’s Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle (LCV) Show. The ultra-high performance hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle platform – EVRh – has been developed to demonstrate the potential of hydrogen (H2) powered powertrain systems through implementation in a high-performance vehicle application, the company said. Produced by WAE in Oxfordshire, EVRh combines the company’s vehicle and powertrain engineering experience alongside an H2 fuel cell system, in one package, allowing for end users to have zero tailpipe emissions driving.
The launch of EVRh comes exactly one year after the reveal of WAE’s fully electric derivative, EVR. EVRh utilizes an H2 fuel cell system to produce electricity through a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell stack. Working with partners for the H2 fuel cell system, paired with WAE’s systems integration and electrification technology, EVRh determines the potential of hydrogen-powered performance systems, as a parallel-hybrid derivative of its EVR rolling chassis concept.
With a powertrain that has a liquid-cooled FCEV battery pack at its core, EVRh is capable of discharging 430kW of power and has a 120kW charge power, enabling sub-2.5secs 0-60 mph acceleration and an estimated lap time of the Nürburgring in under 7 mins 20 secs, WAE said. Hydrogen storage is in two tanks with a combined volume of 100 liters, enabling a range of 372 miles. All-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive layouts are supported through multiple e-motor configurations.
The Hydrogen hybrid powertrain also brings multiple benefits to manufacturers, the company said, enabling an accelerated route to market, with the entire engineering and assembly completed by WAE. Similarly, both OEMs and Tier 1s have the chance to incorporate new products into the powertrain using EVRh, since the rolling chassis can undergo continuous enhancements using WAE’s latest motor and battery technologies, the company said.
