With the rapidly developing market for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles comes the opportunity to embed Circular Economy practices in the design, manufacture, use and end-of-life treatment of these vehicles, reducing demand for valuable finite resources. In a collaboration between Coventry University, Aston University, Microcab Industries and Oakdene Hollins, this project will apply an industrial symbiosis model to the critical supply chain of hydrogen fuel cells, seeking to develop a restorative business model that utilise new data-driven approaches to monitor the health and usage of fuel cells. The use of real-time knowledge of the health of critical components and systems will make such a business model, and others that involve the reuse of cells in other sectors, more efficient and sustainable.

 

The restorative models to be developed have the potential to save costs and generate revenue from waste streams. This combination of the principles of predictive maintenance and those of the circular economy will rely on early detection of signs of deterioration in fuel cells for the evaluation of their remaining useful life. This approach would allow for an optimisation of the maintenance efforts for extending their life and/or the reuse of cells in other sectors, thus giving the cells multiple lives and supporting industrial symbiosis. In doing so, the project will contribute to the implementation of principles such as "access not ownership" in a variety of sectors where fuel cells are a key part of the infrastructure such as the mainstream automotive, along with freight and public transport, as well as domains that seek to adopt circular economy principles such as industrial equipment.

 

The project will develop a proof of concept to better understand the interdependencies between data, cost, efficiency and circularity of materials. The business models of value chain stakeholders involved in supplying and/or end-of-life treatment of components and parts will also be informed.