University academics and students are running a laboratory and test rigs for researching hydrogen technology jointly with MAN.
MAN Invests in Hydrogen-Based Vehicle Drive System
MAN Truck & Bus, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Nuremberg Tech (THN) have signed a cooperation agreement on the research and development of hydrogen-based vehicle drive systems.
University academics and students are running a laboratory and test rigs for researching hydrogen technology jointly with a vehicle manufacturer’s developers directly at its plant premises for the first time.
The work will take place at a Hydrogen Campus located at MAN’s plant in Nuremberg, Germany, and will span the entire value chain of this type of drive system: from eco-friendly hydrogen generation through distribution, infrastructure and converting it back into electricity all the way to technology application in customer vehicles.
FAU will focus on basic research, THN will use its strengths in the field of applied research, while commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN will ensure that the research findings are integrated into the production of hydrogen fuel cells and combustion engines installed in trucks and buses. They all share the same goal: the Nuremberg Metropolitan Area is to become a European centre of competence for hydrogen drives within the framework of the Hydrogen.
In addition to FAU and TH, the list of important institutional research partners in the region also includes the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy (HI-ERN), Energie Campus Nürenberg (EnCN), the Nuremberg Campus of Technology, and two Fraunhofer Institutes: IIS (Institute for Integrated Circuits) and IISB (Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology).
Dr. Frederick Zohm, Executive Board member for Research & Development at MAN Truck & Bus SE, says: “As a commercial vehicle manufacturer, we are facing our industry’s biggest transformation since the invention of the diesel engine. Back then, MAN gave Rudolf Diesel the money and equipment he needed to develop his engine. These days, it is all about successfully industrialising alternative drive systems like battery-electric drives, fuel cells, or hydrogen combustion engines. We are once again getting involved in the basic development of new drive forms. ”
Prof. Dr. Joachim Hornegger, President of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), explains: “Our society needs new, sustainable forms of mobility — this transition to environmentally friendly transport can only succeed if scientists and the industry work closely together. In recent years, FAU scientists have made a decisive contribution to shaping research in the field of innovative hydrogen technologies. Now, the cooperation between MAN, FAU, and TH brings together three important partners — ultimately driving the whole region forward.”
Prof. Dr. Niels Oberbeck, President of the Nuremberg Tech, says: “The cooperation between MAN, FAU and Nuremberg Teck is the ideal type of cooperation along the entire innovation chain, from basic research to application-oriented research and transfer into practice. With this model, we will make an important contribution to the implementation of the Bavarian hydrogen strategy and to the success of the technological change in propulsion technology and thus jointly generate added value for society. “.
