Automotive
Driving change in the automotive sector
Aneela Rose, green energy specialist and contributing writer to CIE, sits down with Dr. Tom Mason, CEO & CTO of Bramble Energy, to find out how the company’s printed circuit board fuel cell technology is helping to lead the charge toward Net Zero
T
he automotive sector faces its sternest challenge yet as a result of decades of environmental damage caused by our
dependence on fossil fuels. As we move ever more rapidly towards an EV and hydrogen revolution, the pressure on those developing viable solutions has grown and grown. One of the most influential game-changers, and someone who’s willing to tackle the challenges head on, is Dr. Tom Mason, CEO & CTO of Bramble Energy – a world renowned innovator of ground- breaking printed circuit board fuel cell technology - the PCBFC.
Bramble Energy is powering a Net Zero world and has made impressive developments in the production of hydrogen fuel cells. Their belief is that a truly sustainable transport sector must include fuel cells and that battery electric vehicles alone will not lead to a zero-emission mobility ecosystem.
Tom, what was your motivation behind setting up the company? There is no bigger challenge that humanity faces than the climate crisis and our purpose
is to help the world achieve Net Zero. As we transition to Net Zero, it’s vital that as many technologies as possible contribute and Bramble Energy was set up to develop affordable hydrogen fuel cells and be offered as part of the overall energy mix. With over £9m of investment in just a few years and an ambitious growth plan well underway, the company is fast becoming the leading hydrogen fuel cell provider with its game-changing technology, cost benefits, scalability and form factor flexibility.
What new technology have you developed and how will this help to achieve Net Zero?
Bramble Energy is a disruptor in the clean tech space. We have developed the unique, patent protected, Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Fuel Cell – the PCBFC. The innovation is that the PCBFC utilises existing and cost-effective production methods and materials from the well-established PCB industry, reducing cost and complexity in manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells.
By creating products based on printed circuit boards, Bramble plugged
into an existing global manufacturing base, as well as an incredible potential advantage in pace. Everything about the printed circuit board technology is digital. If you want to change it, it is as simple as changing a file, send it to your manufacturer and they can output it for you.
Bramble can conceivably turn around any design from concept to physically testing a stack within 10 days.
How are you developing your tech for the automotive industry? We believe that a truly sustainable transport sector must incorporate fuel cells. Battery electric vehicles alone will not lead to a zero emission mobility ecosystem.
Hydrogen fuel cells generate electricity using an electromechanical reaction rather than the combustion of a traditional engine. This not only eliminates harmful emissions but is silent in operation with no moving parts and produces only heat and water as by-products.
While conventional fuel cell stacks rely on stamped plates to hold the various layers, our approach leverages PCB manufacturing technology, which can be produced at low cost, in virtually any shape using flexible production techniques. We have most recently debuted our first vehicle demonstrator in collaboration with MAHLE Powertrain and have now signed a MoU to further extend our collaboration on PCBFC fuel cell system development. Being able to demonstrate the maturity of our technology with this project opens the doors to multiple market sectors such as marine and aviation.
What can we expect to see in the transportation markets in the short, medium and long terms? All markets must look to decarbonise,
16 November 2021 Components in Electronics
and fast! In the short and medium terms, we’re hoping to form partnerships with key players to demonstrate how the PCBFC can be used to help them meet their industries’ decarbonisation goals. In the longer term, Bramble Energy is looking to form strategic partnerships and supply agreements with leaders within the sector to help completely decarbonise fleets of aircraft, marine vessels, vans, trucks, cars and more.
What are the future growth plans for the company?
We plan to continue the rapid growth in our team and demonstrate our high-powered technology in multiple application segments in the near future. By the beginning of 2022, we are aiming to launch five discrete products in our SD range. The target is for Bramble Energy to become the go-to name in affordable, scalable fuel cell solutions. Bramble’s goals are ambitious, and we are aiming high with our purpose but that is what motivates us. Our technology is agnostic and with that in mind we aim to decarbonise as many sectors as possible on a global scale. As Net Zero goals near, there are only going to be more and more opportunities that present themselves for our technology to develop and work to aid the clean energy transition.
Bramble is embarking on a new funding round to accelerate the business even faster. This funding round will allow our team to grow to over 50 people and sets us on course to be the first profitable fuel cell company.
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