Verne, a hydrogen storage system developer, will receive new funding, which will enable it to accelerate the development of refrigerated compressed hydrogen (CcH2) technology for on-board hydrogen storage in heavy-duty vehicles.
战略融资由 Trucks Venture Capital 牵头，现有投资者 Collaborative Fund 和 Amazon 的 Climate Pledge Fund 以及新投资者 United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund 和 Newlab 参与。
The investment brings Verne's total funding to $15.5 million, including grant funding.
Heavy transportation accounts for 12% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Regulations such as California's advanced clean fleet and corporate "net-zero" commitments require a transition to zero-emission vehicles. However, the huge energy demand and the importance of total cost of ownership make it difficult for fleets to transition from diesel technology to zero-emission technology.
Class 8 battery-electric trucks have a limited range (about 200 miles versus 1,000 miles for diesel trucks), weigh 5,000-10,000 pounds heavier than diesel trucks (reducing the payload available for transporting goods by 5% to 15%), and take more than two hours to refuel.
Hydrogen is a better solution for decarbonizing vehicles that travel long distances or carry heavy loads because of its range, weight, and refueling advantages over battery-electric trucks. But the current performance of hydrogen trucks is still not as good as that of diesel trucks.
Since its inception in 2020, Verne has been working to address this challenge by developing high-density hydrogen storage that enables these vehicles to achieve diesel-equivalent range and payload.
Its refrigerated compressed hydrogen technology involves cooling and compressing hydrogen to achieve a maximum hydrogen density of 73 g/L internal density, which is 33% higher than liquid hydrogen and 87% higher than conventional 700 bar compressed gas hydrogen. The increase in density leads to greater range and payload: Verne's technology enables semi-trucks to achieve diesel-equivalent range, or more than 900 miles, without adding any weight to the system.
"Verne's technology will have an immediate positive impact on commercial vehicles on the road and in the air," said Jeffrey Schox, general partner at Trucks Venture Capital. "High-density hydrogen is a powerful solution for larger vehicles and is in line with our mission to support the most climate-positive transport concepts. ”
"Heavy vehicles like semi-trucks and cargo handling equipment are critical to the functioning of our economy, but they are also one of the most polluting factors," added Ted McKlveen, co-founder and CEO of Verne. "Verne has the incentive to deliver zero-emission solutions that don't require costly performance trade-offs in these critical industries. ”
In 2023, Verne reported CcH2 storage records while stationing a 29-kilogram tank at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Verne also completed the first vehicle test of its CcH2 storage system as part of its participation in the Breakthrough Energy Fellows program. This on-board test validates the performance of all subsystems, including direct integration with the vehicle's fuel cell, and confirms an increase in hydrogen density compared to the standard 700 bar compressed gas hydrogen storage method.
About Verne
Verne was founded in 2020 to develop high-density hydrogen storage solutions needed to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation. Verne's platform unlocks zero-emission operations in industries such as trucking, aviation, port vehicles, mining, and hydrogen distribution. Verne is financially backed by leading commercial entities, including Trucks Venture Capital, the Collaborative Fund, Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, Caterpillar VC, and Newlab. Erna has also received support from Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the Department of Energy's ARPA-E, and others. For more information, please visit www.verneh2.com.
关于Trucks Venture Capital
Trucks Venture Capital provides funding to entrepreneurs to build the future of climate-positive transportation. With transport accounting for the largest share of global emissions, we believe the best climate investors must be connected to transport. Since its inception in 2015, Trucks has defined and championed the concept of climate-positive transport investment, supporting groundbreaking ideas on the ground and in the air. More information: https://www.trucks.vc
本文翻译来自原文：Funding Bolsters Verne’s Plan for HD Vehicles to Store Hydrogen on Board - NGT News