Denser form of hydrogen storage promises faster refueling and lower costs for hydrogen aviation

Hollister, CA & San Francisco, CA, January 16, 2024 — ZeroAvia and Verne today announced that they have signed an MOU to jointly evaluate the opportunities for using cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) on-board aircraft and for conducting CcH2 refueling from gaseous hydrogen (GH2) and liquid hydrogen (LH2) sources.

ZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation, focused on developing hydrogen-electric engines for all types of aircraft as the most environmentally and economically-friendly solution for the industry’s growing climate change impact. Aviation accounts for ten percent of all U.S. transportation greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and three percent of total U.S. GHG emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Verne is a hydrogen storage and refueling technology startup focused on solutions using cryo-compressed hydrogen for heavy-duty transportation. Cryo-compressed hydrogen stores gaseous hydrogen at cold temperatures, increasing the energy density of the fuel, which could enable a longer range compared to GH2 powered aircraft.

According to analysis by Verne, cryo-compressed hydrogen can achieve 40 percent greater usable hydrogen density than liquid hydrogen and 200 percent greater usable hydrogen density than 350 bar gaseous hydrogen. Additionally, the application of cryo-compressed hydrogen promises to significantly reduce the cost of densification and refueling time, increase dormancy time relative to LH2 systems, and potentially eliminate venting for pressure management.

ZeroAvia and Verne will assess the potential benefits of scaling CcH2 storage and refueling infrastructure at airports across the world, as hydrogen-electric propulsion scales to support larger and larger aircraft. The two companies will also work together to develop a model for initial airport locations in California.

Access the full press release: https://zeroavia.com/zeroavia-and-verne-partner-to-explore-cryo-compressed-hydrogen-for-airports-and-aircraft/

About Verne

Verne is commercializing high-density hydrogen platforms for the heavy-duty transportation industry. Verne’s cryo-compressed hydrogen platform can unlock zero-emission operations in sectors including aviation, trucking, port vehicles and hydrogen distribution. Verne has Letters of Intent for hundreds of Class 8 trucks and is working with multiple of the leading OEMs. Verne is financially supported by Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Caterpillar Venture Capital, and Collaborative Fund. Verne is also supported by Breakthrough Energy Fellows and the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E. For more information, please visit verneh2.com and follow Verne on LinkedIn and X @VerneH2.

Company contact:
David Jaramillo, CTO & Co-Founder; contact@verneh2.com

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About ZeroAvia

ZeroAvia is a leader in zero-emission aviation with the mission of delivering a hydrogen-electric engine in every aircraft as the most environmentally and economically friendly solution for addressing the industry’s climate impact. The company is starting with engines to support a 300-mile range in 9–19 seat aircraft by the end of 2025, and up to 700-mile range in 40–80 seat aircraft by 2027. Founded in California and now with thriving teams also in Everett, WA and the United Kingdom, ZeroAvia has secured experimental certificates to test its engines in three separate testbed aircraft with the FAA and CAA and passed significant flight test milestones. The company has signed a number of key engineering partnerships with major aircraft OEMs and has nearly 2,000 pre-orders for engines from a number of the major global airlines, with future revenue potential over $10bn. For more, please visit ZeroAvia.com, follow @ZeroAvia on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Verne and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory tripled previous records for cryo-compressed hydrogen storage, achieving the first demonstration of a CcH2 system large enough to meet the energy storage needs of semi-trucks

Livermore, California, December 12, 2023 — Verne and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) demonstrated a single cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) system with a capacity of 29 kilograms, close to three times greater capacity than previously known examples. This system is the first CcH2 system large enough for use in heavy-duty transportation systems. For example, two such systems can be frame-mounted to a Class 8 truck, and enable a range of over 500 miles, according to Verne analysis.

Heavy-duty vehicles including trucks, ships and planes are responsible for 23 percent of U.S. GHG emissions, yet are difficult to decarbonize due to their high energy requirements. Current battery electric and hydrogen storage methods (liquid and compressed gas) do not provide sufficient energy density to power Class 8 trucks. CcH2 achieves 27 percent greater hydrogen storage density than liquid hydrogen and more than 75 percent greater hydrogen storage density than compressed gaseous hydrogen. The energy stored in Verne’s 29 kilogram CcH2 tank is roughly equivalent to a one-megawatt-hour battery storage system, while weighing only about 400 kg versus the one-megawatt-hour battery which weighs around 5,000 kg. This magnitude improvement in gravimetric energy density is a major reason why hydrogen is the preferred fuel for the heavy-duty industry.  

Verne and LLNL have worked together for the past two years to test Verne’s hydrogen-storage systems, building on early CcH2 research at LLNL that was started over 25 years ago by Dr. Salvador Aceves. In this test, Verne implemented a test manifold that enables the testing of multiple components at once. This allows Verne to test and validate various types of safety valves, operating valves, and sensors.

“Despite the promise from early hydrogen-fueled truck pilots, the efficient storage of hydrogen onboard trucks, ships and planes remains one of the main challenges to unlock a zero-emission future. Verne has developed high-density, lightweight hydrogen storage systems for use onboard heavy-duty vehicles at low cost. Our solution builds upon decades of research pioneered at Livermore to provide a reliable, scalable and cost-effective storage solution. We could not have done this without the team at Livermore. It’s exciting to see this project head toward the commercialization phase where it can be adopted across the heavy-duty sector” said David Jaramillo, co-founder of Verne.

Verne’s CcH2 system is compact enough that it can fit where diesel tanks are typically installed on a Class 8 truck, on the side of the truck between the wheels. Verne has received interest in their CcH2 systems from a variety of industry stakeholders, including Amazon, an investor in Verne.

Learn more about Verne and LLNL’s world-record accomplishment and the need for cryo-compressed hydrogen to decarbonize heavy-duty transportation through LLNL’s press release: https://www.llnl.gov/article/50691/hydrogen-storage-demonstrated-semi-trucks

About Verne

Verne was founded in 2020 to develop the required high-density hydrogen platform for heavy-duty transportation. Verne’s platform can unlock zero-emission operations in sectors including mining, aviation, port vehicles and hydrogen distribution. Verne is financially supported by leading commercial entities, including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Caterpillar Venture Capital, and Collaborative Fund. Verne is also supported by Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, and other agencies. For more information, visit verneh2.com  

Company contact:
David Jaramillo, CTO & Co-Founder; contact@verneh2.com

Picture: Verne and LLNL personnel following the completion of the system demonstration. The system contains a modifiable manifold which enables accelerated testing of multiple components at once. From the left: Kara Zhang (Verne R&D Process Engineer), Ted McKlveen (Verne CEO &Co-Founder), David Jaramillo (Verne CTO & Co-Founder), Bav Roy (Verne COO& Co-Founder), Harry Clarke (Verne Hydrogen Systems Engineer), and Nick Killingsworth (LLNL Senior Engineer). Photo by Garry McLeod/LLNL.

The companies will develop and demonstrate cryo-compressed hydrogen nozzles and receptacles for heavy-duty truck refueling stations

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San Francisco, California and Diez, Germany. Verne, a hydrogen technology platform startup, and ARTA, a global market leader in coupling and connector system solutions for over 50 years, have signed a collaboration agreement to jointly develop and demonstrate coupling and receptacles for cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) truck refueling stations. This work will help ensure the required high-performance equipment is available for the cryo-compressed hydrogen trucking refueling network.

“ARTA’s team has extensive experience with cryogenic and pressurized hydrogen systems, a unique capability,” said David Jaramillo, CTO & Co-Founder of Verne. “Their proven track record and agile development capabilities make ARTA a great collaborator to develop the technology the market needs.”

Cryo-compressed hydrogen offers densities that are superior to liquid hydrogen (LH2) systems while avoiding boil-off losses. At a storage pressure less than 400 bar, CcH2 storage systems can reach hydrogen densities of 73 g/L, a 35% improvement relative to LH2 storage systems (54 g/L with minimal ullage) and an 87% improvement relative to 700 bar storage systems. This fundamental density benefit unlocks diesel-like performance across the heavy-duty sector, starting with Class 8 trucks. Verne has demonstrated multiple cryo-compressed hydrogen storage systems with various third parties, including commercial entities and a United States National Laboratory.

“Since our first contact, our cooperation with Verne has been inspiring and energizing to ARTA. We are happy to support Verne’s path towards a carbon-neutral transportation industry with our long-term experience in cryogenic and high-pressure coupling technology,” said Pascal von Keitz, Project Manager of H2 and Managing Director of ARTA. “The transformation of industries into a sustainable age must take place now. Verne and ARTA are a good match to quickly implement hydrogen solutions for the transport sector.”

In addition to achieving high-density on-board storage, Verne is now working with ARTA to demonstrate rapid refueling. The companies are collaborating to develop high-flow refueling coupling and receptacles for truck stations. The developed technology will allow for refueling a 500+ mile truck in less than 10 minutes.  The companies will carry out demonstrations starting in early 2024.

About ARTA

Where critical gases or liquids are handled in a safe way, ARTA has been the industry’s partner for couplings and transfer systems since 1964. Starting with land-based logistics applications, ARTA’s portfolio has grown to cover couplings for all applications of global supply chains: From the sea to the sky, from cryogenics to high pressure. ARTA is a family-owned private company based in Diez, Germany. With subsidiaries and service partners all over the world, ARTA supplies renowned global players with reliable coupling systems for all kind of applications.

Company contact:
Pascal von Keitz, Managing Director of ARTA; info@arta.com

About Verne

Verne was founded in 2020 to develop the required high-density hydrogen platform for heavy-duty transportation. Verne’s platform can unlock zero-emission operations in sectors including trucking, mining, aviation, port vehicles and hydrogen distribution. Verne is financially supported by leading commercial entities, including Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund, Caterpillar Venture Capital, and Collaborative Fund. Verne is also supported by Breakthrough Energy Fellows, the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E, and other agencies. For more information, please visit verneh2.com

Company contact:
David Jaramillo, CTO & Co-Founder; contact@verneh2.com

Q&A with Verne Co-Founder and CEO Ted McKlveen was featured in Mercury News.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/05/30/san-francisco-clean-energy-startup-aims-for-hydrogen-breakthrough-for-trucking/

Verne’s technology was highlighted as one of the promising technologies to present at CERAWeek.

‍https://www.freightwaves.com/news/amazon-funded-startup-tackles-storage-issue-as-key-in-hydrogen-trucking

The Verne team was excited to attend the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit in Denver, Colorado.

Thanks to Breakthrough Energy for supporting this summit and to the wider climate-tech community for their ongoing support of our decarbonization mission at Verne.

If you didn't get a chance to speak with us, please reach out: contact@verneh2.com