The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has announced a collaboration with the Department of Defense's (DOD) U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They will develop and demonstrate a hydrogen fuel cell powered emergency relief truck (H2Rescue).
This vehicle will help provide a clean energy solution for first responders during emergency relief and disaster management efforts. Hydrogen is a cleaner power source as it only emits water vapor. It's also a fairly abundant fuel and offers faster refueling times than some other power sources.
The H2Rescue relief truck is a fuel cell/battery hybrid truck that first responders and the military can drive to disaster mitigation sites. It can provide sufficient hydrogen to provide power, heat, and even potable water for up to 24-72 hours.
A feasibility study will be conducted, as well as a joint plan to ensure the truck meets the needs of this application.
The project supports DOE's H2@Scale initiative that enables affordable and reliable hydrogen generation, transport, storage, and utilization in the United States across multiple sectors. Collaborative opportunities to develop and demonstrate an emergency relief truck like the H2Rescue can help identify technological gaps that feed back to DOE's H2@Scale R&D in heavy- and medium-duty transportation applications.
The Army Corps of Engineers, with contributions from the EERE's Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Vehicle Technologies Office and DOD, will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) on H2Rescue this fall. The RFP will be available on FedBizOpps.com.
