AMTE Power & Viritech to collaborate on hydrogen hypercars
Battery cell manufacturer AMTE Power has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with powertrain developer Viritech to support the development of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
The agreement paves the way for the AMTE Power to supply its Ultra High Power (UHP) cells for use in Viritech’s battery packs for hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) projects, including heavy goods vehicles, light commercial vehicles, applications in marine and aerospace, as well as distributed power applications and Viritech’s hypercar project, Apricale.
Read more: 'World's first' trucks using green steel to hit roads this year
The development of hydrogen fuel cell technology is believed to be critical to the development of zero-emission vehicles. An alternative to fully electric vehicles, fuel cells mitigate challenges around weight and cell charge times in high power and performance vehicles compared to battery power alone.
The Advanced Propulsion Centre UK forecasts that global FCEV markets will experience rapid expansion as economies move away from fossil fuels, with sales anticipated to exceed 1 million vehicles by 2030 and 10 million vehicles by 2040.
Viritech’s innovative powertrain combines hydrogen fuel cells with high-performance lithium-ion cells. The technology is intended to provide an additional power boost on ignition, acceleration and when driving on a gradient, as well as enabling smaller, more lightweight battery systems that reduce weight compromises. Charging for the battery cells can be generated through the operation of the fuel cell and regenerative braking.
AMTE Power’s differentiated UHP lithium-ion cell has been designed to target the high-power automotive market. With fully-owned intellectual property rights for the product, AMTE Power is in advanced stages of development for the UHP, which is currently going through scale-up and testing trials at the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre.
Read more: Škoda launches production of battery systems
Kevin Brundish, CEO of AMTE Power said: "Batteries are essential to the transition to hydrogen-electric vehicles and our UHP cells are the perfect fit for this collaboration, with our carefully refined cell chemistry able to fulfil the specific power, weight and safety requirements for Viritech’s power trains. This partnership will help the EV industry move to net-zero emissions while ensuring the UK remains a competitive player in automotive manufacturing."
Back to Homepage
Back to Transportation