Project Smart.H2

The SMART.H2 project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, is investigating the aging and regeneration of hydrogen polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM-BZ) in heavy-duty vehicles. These fuel cells are promising for powering electric motors because they offer longer running times and shorter refueling times compared to battery-electric systems, and also operate without emissions. The aim of the project is to improve the service life of PEM-BZ and make them competitive with conventional combustion engines.

A central focus of the project is the development of accelerated aging tests, the analysis of degradation processes under real operating conditions, and the development of regeneration strategies. To this end, three main objectives are being pursued: the construction of a laboratory test bench for investigating the effects of aging, the development of a method for spatially resolved characterization of cell aging, and the modeling of aging processes using machine learning to optimize operation and predict regeneration measures.