Puchheim –Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, “From Fuel Cell Manufacture to Series Production”: The Upper Bavarian Technology Market Leader – Developer and Manufacturer of Emission- Free Fuel Cells and Fuel Cell Electric Hybrid Systems
Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH ( www.proton-motor.de) from Puchheim near Munich officially inaugurated its new hydrogen fuel cell production machine last Friday. As part of the ceremony, Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria and Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, launched the automated production facility with an official push of a button, emphasizing: “As a technology of the future, hydrogen plays a key role in tackling the energy and mobility change. That’s why we founded the center hydrogen.Bayern (H2.B) in Nuremberg. In order to be able to offer fuel cells more competitively, we need mass production. Proton Motor shows that this is already possible today. “
Proton Motor CEO dr. Faiz Nahab commented on the inauguration: “We are proud and happy at the same time with our new facility and at the same time, we would like to express our gratitude for the recognition of the Free State of Bavaria and the interest of Minister Aiwanger in climate-neutral propulsion and energy solutions for the mobile and stationary sectors. “
In Proton Motor’s innovative fuel cell system, the fuel cell stack is embedded in a module as the core. The stack robot can increase production capacity to between 5,000 and 10,000 fuel cell units, depending on the stack size per year. This important milestone in the company’s more than 20-year history is a response to increased industry demand for hydrogen fuel cells, which is clearly reflected in the current collaborative agreements and strategic partnerships.
The manufacturing robot was realized as part of the “Fit-4-AMandA” (Fit for Automatic Manufacturing and Assembly) project and financed by the European agency “FCH-JU” (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking). Proton Motor was among the five participants who participated in the development and rigorous testing program to perfect the performance and capacity of the robot. In order to meet the increasing demand in the coming years, the fuel cell specialist and the manufacturer have prepared the plans for the optional production expansion. Thanks to a slightly different machine layout, production can be increased to 30- 50,000 stack units maximum capacity per year.
“We are delighted with this important milestone of our company as it greatly enhances our manufacturing capability and enables Proton Motor to obtain larger volume orders before the end of 2020,” said Proton Motor Chairman Helmut Gierse welcoming the invited guests. The “Gen4” stack module of the modular and standardized hydrogen fuel cell will be able to cover the expected demand, which can be said to provide world-class climate protection in part, according to management. This Proton Motor contribution to industrial solutions will be provided for mobile (buses, trucks etc), stationary (power generation, standby and persistent) as well as for maritime (yachts, ships) and rail applications.
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