Zepp.solutions has secured a €1.98 million grant from the European Just Transition Fund (JTF) for the development of a cutting-edge fuel cell systems factory. The factory will be established in the Greater-Rijnmond region.
The JTF, which contributes to the transition to a Climate Neutral Europe, recognises Zepp’s potential in supporting the regional economy’s innovation and reducing the negative impact on employment during this transition.
The factory will allow Zepp.solutions to strengthen its position in Europe’s growing hydrogen sector. With the support of the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate and Social Affairs and Employment, as well as the municipalities in the Dutch Greater Rijnmond area, the company aims to accelerate the energy transition and foster resilience in the labour market.
‘This is an important step towards establishing a new state-of-the-art production facility for our fuel cell systems,’ says Jonas Brendelberger, co-founder of Zepp.solutions. ‘It will allow us to further accelerate our technology and scale up the production and deployment of these hydrogen systems in the next few years.’
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Fully integrated systems to replace diesel engines
The factory will be dedicated to the production of Zepp’s Y50 and X150 fully integrated hydrogen fuel cell modules. These fuel cell modules efficiently transform hydrogen gas into usable high-voltage electric power to drive vehicles, vessels or other heavy machinery.
Current applications include the Rotterdam Watertaxi, excavators for construction as well as a 67-metre-long inland shipping vessel. The first two semi-trucks featuring the company’s fuel cell systems will hit the roads later this year.
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Brendelberger: ‘Each of our systems ultimately replaces a polluting diesel engine resulting in a reduction of between 111 and 332 metric tonnes of CO2 per system annually. Our fuel cell technology boasts an impressive power density. This heightened power density enables the integration of hydrogen technology into a wider range of heavy-duty applications. We are maximizing the potential impact of the technology.’
Scaling up production
The factory will enable the company to scale up their production to 1000 systems annually, leading to the creation of approximately 100 jobs in the hydrogen sector within the region. By focusing on the production of their zero-emission fuel cell systems, Zepp.solutions also significantly contributes to the region’s ambition to become the leading European hydrogen hub.
