PowerCell to deliver fuel cells to Amogy’s ammonia-powered workboat

Swedish fuel cell producer PowerCell has received an order for fuel cell systems and related services from U.S.-based Amogy to be installed in a workboat.

PowerCell, an industrial spinout from the Volvo Group, develops and produces fuel cell stacks and systems for stationary and mobile applications. The fuel cells are powered by hydrogen, pure or reformed, and produce electricity and heat with no emissions.

Amogy, launched in 2020 by four MIT Ph.D. alumni, has developed a proprietary ammonia-to-power technology platform to decarbonize the global transportation industry. The technology has been demonstrated in an aerial drone and farming tractor, and the company wants to scale up the platform for use in larger vehicles, including ships. 

PowerCell’s fuel cells will be integrated in Amogy’s solution, where ammonia is reformed into hydrogen. In this way, it is possible to provide continuous power to a workboat over extended periods. The workboat will be used to demonstrate how to build a complete power system targeted to the marine industry.

PowerCell will deliver the systems and related services during the coming fifteen months.

“This order is a further proof of our leading fuel cell technology that we have industrialized for demanding applications. A key strength is our ability to offer fuel agnostic systems using clean hydrogen from compressed or liquid storage as well as from reformed methanol and ammonia. We believe that refining ammonia into hydrogen to be used in fuel cell systems will be an important emissions-free fuel source for the future,” said Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell Sweden.

”We are very happy to partner with PowerCell who shares our vision in creating a carbon-free future of transportation. PowerCell has clearly demonstrated that it has a commercialized solution and capacity to join us in making the transport industry’s paradigm shift a reality,” said Seonghoon Woo, CEO of Amogy.

Amogy has also partnered with Norwegian shipping and technology company Amon Maritime to advance carbon-free, ammonia power solutions for the global shipping industry.

The two companies will work to identify ways to make scalable, decarbonized power solutions accessible to the shipping industry through pilot and full-scale commercial projects.

The order is being reported two months after PowerCell announced an order for a multi-megawatt fuel cell system from U.S.-based finance broker Maritime Partners LLC.

The fuel cell system runs on hydrogen produced by the on-board reforming of methanol and it is intended for the Hydrogen One towboat.

The order is worth approximately SEK 37 million ($3.6 million) and the delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2023.

Maritime Partners plans to launch the world’s first hydrogen-electric towboat, M/V Hydrogen One in 2023.