Demonstrating the blueprint for a zero-emission logistics ecosystem

Projects should demonstrate at least 250 fuel cell logistic vehicles such as forklifts, trucks, vans, loaders or other relevant industrial vehicle at two end-user sites with a minimum of 50 vehicles per site. The sites should be chosen such that different operational scenarios (e.g. type of goods produced, indoors/outdoors, cold/hot climate, dusty environment, etc) are demonstrated. One single site for the demonstration could also be considered to demonstrate the impact of a higher critical mass of vehicles in one location. Reasons for the choice of site(s) should be explained by the applicants/consortium.
The project should be open to different industries such as and not limited to logistic hubs, car industry, ports and airports, refrigerated warehouses, heavy industry or ceramic industry. The vehicles can also operate outside the site grounds but should be connected to the logistic process of that site.
The demonstration should include necessary and relevant support of cost-efficient hydrogen supply infrastructure and the hydrogen generated should be green hydrogen (i.e. from biomass or from electrolysis based on renewable energy) at least in one of the locations.

It is expected that the vehicles to be deployed in all sites fulfil the following conditions:

• Vehicle type A: trucks (gross vehicle mass >3.5t) or tow tractors (load carriers) for net loads >3t - minimum of 10 units and at least 3 units per site;
• Vehicle type B: vans, small trucks (gross vehicle mass <3.5t) or tow tractors (load carriers) for net loads <3t - minimum of 10 units and at least 3 units per site;
• Vehicle type C: logistic vehicles, of all weight classes, which either a) have not yet been previously converted to zero-emission or b) work currently with batteries but whose operation with fuel cells is deemed more advantageous and where the conversion is required (forklifts for net loads >3.5t could be also included) - minimum of 10 units and at least one unit per site;
• Vehicle type D: forklifts for net loads <3.5t - minimum of 30 units and at least 3 units per site.

Although the proposed topic includes the powertrain integration of FC systems in vehicles in which a fuel cell system has not yet been integrated, it should not include however the development of the powertrain components. The technology to be installed in the vehicles should reflect and go beyond the achievements from the previous FCH 2 JU supported projects (HyLift-Demo, HyLift-Europe, HAWL etc) and should represent the newest state-of-the-art from the EU supply chain. Development of further FC logistic vehicle platforms and the adaptation to certain ambient condition could be also in scope of this topic. In order to assess the reliability, performance and availability of HRSs, vehicles and the overall operation, a data monitoring and analysis system should be put in place. This data should extract value for the next technology generation as well as for the logistic operation itself.

The project is expected to reach the following requirements in terms of performance and safety:

• Operation under application specific indoor/outdoor environmental conditions including cold/freezing ambient conditions, freeze start capability at -20°C on system level. Data monitoring and evaluation should be installed to evaluate the influence of different operation conditions on the performance;
• 1, 2 and 3 shift or 14 hours daily operation scenarios should be demonstrated;
• LCA (‘cradle to grave’) of environmental performance of vehicles, infrastructure and energy source. Assessment should be carried out according to the requirements of the FC-HyGuide guidance document available at http://www.fc-hyguide.eu;
• The required hydrogen refuelling station should be designed and operate in high utilization scenarios under strict availability requirements (> 98% from planned operation time);
• FC systems eligible for funding should address specific European safety standards such as EN 62282-2:2012 Fuel cell technologies - Part 2: Fuel cell modules and EN 62282-4-101:2014 FC Systems Industrial Trucks Safety or EC79/2009 Hydrogen-powered Motor Vehicles as well as have to be CE marked or certified according to applicable EU directives for off-road and on-road vehicles

The competitiveness (on TCO basis) in comparison with incumbent technology or state-of-the-art technologies (ICE, LA/LI battery) at the fleet level for a specific site, should include investment, maintenance and service expenses, hydrogen consumption, other operational costs and disposal/recycling. “CertifHy Green H2“guarantees of origin should be used through the CertifHy platform to ensure that the hydrogen consumption is of renewable nature.

As regards harmonization of regulatory framework:

• In case two sites are chosen, it would be advantageous to be selected from two EU countries in order to be able to evaluate differences in the regulatory framework for both the permitting of the operation of hydrogen-propelled vehicles and of the installation of a hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure in buildings;
• Differences and hurdles should be identified, safety criteria and concepts for indoor operation and refuelling of trucks, vans or MHVs as basis for standardization shall be developed and proposals for an EU wide harmonization be made.

The minimum operational period for any vehicle demonstrated in the project should be at least:

• Vehicle type A: 24 months and 30,000 km (trucks); 24 months and 2,500 hours of operation (tow tractors);
• Vehicle type B: 24 months and 30,000 km (vans and small trucks; in particular, 36 months should be considered for vans); 24 months and 2,500 hours of operation (tow tractors);
• Vehicle type C: 12 months and 1,000 hours of operation;
• Vehicle type D: 36 months and 4,000 hours of operation.

Refuelling infrastructure (new installation or upgrade of existing one and/or optimized refuelling procedure, e.g. through robot) as well as green hydrogen generation capabilities should be also in scope of the project.
FC systems should be analysed for power degradation and efficiency over the operation period.

The project results should be presented to at least two relevant international events raising the awareness of potential customers and/or policy makers for this technology.
It is expected that consortium comprises end users at each site committing themselves to demonstrate a minimum of 50 MHV and industrial vehicles at the start of the project and at least two vehicle manufacturers and hydrogen infrastructure suppliers. The commitment should be secured by at least Letter Of Intent (LOI) in the proposal and by way of pre-orders or similar before signature of the Grant Agreement. The participation of a research organisation or academia is also recommended.
TRL at the start of the project:

• Vehicle type A: 5-6
• Vehicle type B: 5-6
• Vehicle type C: 4-5
• Vehicle type D: 7-8

TRL at the end of the project:

• Vehicle type A: 6-7
• Vehicle type B: 6-7
• Vehicle type C: 6
• Vehicle type D: 8-9

Any safety-related event that may occur during execution of the project shall be reported to the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) dedicated mailbox JRC-PTT-H2SAFETY@ec.europa.eu, which manages the European hydrogen safety reference database, HIAD and the Hydrogen Event and Lessons LEarNed database, HELLEN.
Test activities should collaborate and use the protocols developed by the JRC Harmonisation Roadmap (see section 3.2.B "Collaboration with JRC – Rolling Plan 2019"), in order to benchmark performance of components and allow for comparison across different projects.

The maximum FCH 2 JU contribution that may be requested is EUR 10 million. This is an eligibility criterion – proposals requesting FCH 2 JU contributions above this amount will not be evaluated.
In order to increase the leverage effect of the FCH 2 JU contribution, the possibility of co-funding from national/regional initiatives could be considered.

Expected duration: 4 - 5 years.

Regulations for indoor operations of vehicles and the intensified discussion on air quality for industrial areas (harbours, chemical sites, wholesale markets) demand zero emission drive trains for various kinds of vehicles. Electric vehicles are commonly regarded as the suitable answer. Considering that most operators are procuring battery electric vehicles to meet air quality regulations, the challenge for fuel cell logistic and production vehicles will be to demonstrate the distinct operating advantages of those in comparison to battery solutions. For example, battery-based solutions are often lacking a sufficient operating time in industrial applications (especially in sites with 3 working shifts or 14 hours of operation per day), need relatively long time for recharging, require precious space for the recharging infrastructure or for the storage of replaceable batteries, are unable to work in refrigerated areas and are therefore, not suitable as a replacement of conventionally propelled vehicles.

Previous EU/FCH 2 JU projects on FC based Material Handling Vehicles (MHV) like HAWL, HyLIFT-DEMO and HyLIFT-Europe and especially the success of FC forklifts in the USA (more than 20,000 units in operation) have shown the general technical feasibility on one hand and a realistic potential of an economic operation on the other. However, costs for both FC based logistic vehicles and the necessary infrastructure are still too high in comparison to battery or combustion engine-based solutions. Likewise, beyond forklifts (<3.5t) other logistic vehicles have still to be decarbonized and/or their market is not yet activated. The availability and cost argument are also the main reason why potential customers are still hesitating with procurement of FCVs. These projects have also shown that besides the cost topic there are also hurdles on the end user side e.g. when applying for the permission to install hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in buildings and training of the personnel. In order to decarbonize industrial and logistic environments, there is the need of going beyond MHVs and consider the big picture of the whole ecosystem: trucks, loaders, vans, and other specialized vehicles yet to be decarbonized. End users are also still missing certain types of FC logistic vehicles for their specific demands (max. load, outdoor suitability).

Tackling successfully this challenge presents an enormous advantage for the technology: once industry customers are convinced of the environmental and economic benefits of a FC based solution, the ecosystem can be quickly replicated in plants worldwide as typical for these manufacturing or logistic companies.
The challenge of this topic is to demonstrate that the environmental and operational benefits do materialize in a real industrial or logistic ecosystem, thus paving the way to its replication.

The project should therefore not only focus on removing existing hurdles on the cost side of the vehicles and infrastructure (Total Cost of Ownership perspective) but also on regulatory, financial and operational (e.g. availability) aspects. The following specific challenges have to be met:

1. A further reduction of the capital cost of the fuel cell logistic vehicles in line with increased volume (total and per site) by:

• Eliminating technological barriers identified in previous projects such as availability and reliability;
• Fully developing the necessary supply chain with focus on a healthy and diversified European value chains (e.g. drivetrain, FC stacks and systems, tanks among others) and second sources for related services, including availability of trained personnel, spare parts etc. in order to bring this technology on a parity with conventional technologies;
• Designing modular and standardized systems allowing an integration to various vehicles.

2. Reduction of the operational costs, including fuel, infrastructure, down times, production shift optimization or maintenance cost;

3. Identification and quantification of the remaining barriers to market, with a special focus to the user side: permitting procedures, safety aspects (ATEX [1]), training of operators and creation of a higher acceptance of this technology;

4. Enlarging the variety of FC based MHV for special purposes which are able to operate in challenging conditions like outdoor (both in cold and very hot conditions), refrigerated warehouses, paper/cement industry (heavy loads and dusty environment) while highlighting the use cases in which FC vehicles are advantageous compared to existing battery solutions;

5. Creation of a basis for future larger procurements like common specifications and standards for both vehicles and infrastructures, establishment of cross-border procurement groups etc.;

6. Creating synergies with already existing green hydrogen production facilities or development and demonstration of an onsite-production of green hydrogen, which is commercially feasible also for SMEs. Operators could also benefit from the existing supply chain of green hydrogen.

[1]: The term "ATEX" applies to atmospheres that are potentially explosive due to the possible presence of dusts vapours or gases that are likely to ignite or explode (https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Topics/ATEX_and_Electrical_Apparatus/Atex_Regulations_-_Frequently_Asked_Questions/)

• Demonstrate the blueprint for a zero-emission logistics ecosystem and asses its replication potential for other industrial sites, drawing a rollout roadmap with a risk mitigation strategy;
• Confirmation and promotion of economic value proposition of fuel cell and hydrogen technology in the logistic and industrial vehicles sector;
• Demonstrate that the availability, reliability and performance of logistic vehicles and infrastructure is compatible with industrial operation scenarios;
• Creation and stabilization of EU-based component and system production, suppliers’ network and value chain; specifically demonstrate that the technology used for the FC system components and H2 tanks is easily migrated to other transport applications;
• Enlargement of the variety of FC based logistic vehicles;
• Demonstration of the environmental benefits by using green hydrogen generated from renewable energy and reduction of hazardous materials and waste compared to state of art battery technology also with electricity from renewable sources;
• Demonstration of the environmental benefits of the FC technology in comparison with incumbent technology regarding recycling;
• Proposals regarding harmonization of regulatory framework for the indoor operation of H2 propelled vehicles as well as HRS within industrial sites;
• Ensure EU competitiveness and manufacturing.
• The following technical KPI should be achieved:
  • Vehicle type A – trucks only: initial lifetime ≥ 20,000 h (operational time might differ) and 25,000 h lifetime as project target, FC mean time between failures (MTBF) > 2,500 km, availability ≥ 90% (to be measured in available operation time), tank-to-wheel efficiency ≥ 42%, for trucks measured in real cycles;
  • Vehicle type B – vans only: FC system durability ≥ 6,000h (operational time might differ), availability ≥98%, FC system cost < 50EUR/kW at mass production;
  • Tow tractors (Vehicle type A and B) and MHVs (Type C): lifetime ≥ 5,000 h (operational time might differ), availability ≥95%, FC mean time between failures (MTBF) >500 hours;
  • Forklifts (Vehicle type D): lifetime ≥ 20,000 h (operational time might differ), hydrogen consumption ≤6.3 kg/h, system electrical efficiency ≥ 53%, availability ≥98%, FC mean time between failures (MTBF) >1,000 hours, cost of spare parts ≤7 EUR/h, fuel cell system cost (10 kW) ≤ 1,250 EUR/kW at mass production.

Type of action: Innovation Action

The conditions related to this topic are provided in the chapter 3.3 and in the General Annexes to the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2018-2020 which apply mutatis mutandis.