Fuel cell: technological partnership between GreenGT and Liebherr

GreenGT, a pioneer in the design and development of high-power, high-power density electric-hydrogen solutions and Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse have signed a protocol of agreement to develop and sell hydrogen fuel-cell systems integrating Liebherr’s turbocharger technology.

This agreement has been reached just as GreenGT has designed and developed the first generation of a new fuel-cell system, the NGT, destined for high technological added value (HTAV) applications. This extremely compact system generating a net power output of 65 kW for a mass of 150 kg is equipped with an ETC 25 kW Liebherr electric turbocharger.

The NGT is aimed at applications requiring a high level of performance. Two electric-hydrogen prototype trucks based on Russian manufacturer Kamaz platforms have been successfully equipped with the first NGTs: The 44-ton truck for Carrefour developed since 2016 in the context of the French Cathyopé program as well as another heavy vehicle, a 40 ton truck, developed since 2018 in the context of the Swiss GOH! Consortium for Migros.

The Liebherr turbocharger technology originally developed for aerospace applications is based on air bearings for a centrifugal turbocharger fed by a high-speed electric motor. The way the compressed air is injected into the fuel cell has been optimized to supply electric power from an electro-chemical reaction controlled by the system’s on-board electronics.

According to GreenGT, the signing of the agreement couldn’t have come at a better moment just when the production of the company’s new NGTs aimed at niche markets is coming on stream in GreenGT’s new unit in Collombey-Muraz (Switzerland). The momentum of the next three years means that GreenGT’s annual output will be around several hundred units all equipped with Liebherr high-performance turbochargers.

While Liebherr-Aerospace’s turbochargers for fuel cells have already proved their robustness and performance for passenger cars, the partnership with GreenGT is an important step in Liebherr’s diversification strategy into the world of utility vehicles as well as other sectors.