건물용 수소 연료전지 제조업체인 '에스퓨얼셀'이 모빌리티 분야로 신규 사업 추진에 나섰다. 연구개발(R&D)에 필요한 자금을 확보하기 위해 250억원 규모의 유상증자를 결정했다. 정부의 그린뉴딜 정책에 기대감이 높아지면서 핵심 제품인 '수소 연료전지'의 활용을 다각화하겠다는 구상이다. 내년 하반기를 목표로 빠르게 사업화를 위해 원천기술을 보유한 해외업체 인수합병(M&A)도 검토하고 있다.
19일 업계에 따르면 에스퓨얼셀은 지난 16일 자금 조달을 목적으로 주주배정후 실권주 일반공모 방식으로 신주 80만주를 발행하는 유상증자를 결정했다. 256억6000만원 규모다. 신주배정기준일은 다음달 4일이고 납입일은 12월17일, 신주 상장 예정일은 내년 1월 4일이다.
구체적으로 회사 운영에 212억6000만원을 투입하고 시설자금으로 40억원을 쓴다. 시설자금의 경우 계열사인 에스에너지, 에스파워와 함께 본사 신사옥 건설에 필요한 투자금을 각각 보유 지분에 맞춰 분담하기로 했다. 에스퓨얼셀이 부담할 비용 122억5000만원 가운데 39억원은 이미 지급했고 40억원을 추가로 지급할 예정이다.
나머지 운영자금인 212억6000만원은 신규사업에 투입할 계획이다. 신규사업은 그린뉴딜 신성장 라인업인 수소차에 들어가는 연료전지 제조업이다. 최근 정부는 수소경제 활성화를 위해 관련 로드맵을 구상하고 있으며 수소 모빌리티와 인프라 등 다양한 분야에 시범사업 예산 지원 계획을 밝혔다.
2014년 설립한 에스퓨얼셀은 연료전지 전문 기업으로 주로 건물용, 발전용 제품을 제조하고 판매한다. 수소 연료전지와 관련한 셀스택과 연료처리장치 설계 기술, 시스템 통합 설계기술 등 전 부분을 다루고 있다. 이를 통해 고객사에 R&D부터 생산, 모델 개발과 사후관리 등 솔루션을 제공하고 있다.
현재 주요 사업 분야는 아파트와 빌딩, 오피스텔 등 건축물에 설치하는 연료전지로 매출의 80% 이상을 차지하고 있다. 주력 제품은 고분자전해질연료전지(PEMFC) 타입 건물용 연료전지 시스템이다. 건물용 연료전지 사업은 롯데캐슬아파트를 비롯해 서울드래곤시티, 을지트윈타워 등 다양한 건물에 설치되며 캐시카우 역할을 충실히 수행하고 있다. 하지만 매출 편중이 높게 유지되고 있는 점은 꾸준히 고민이었다.
이런 상황에서 지난해부터 정부의 수소경제 활성화 발표와 현대차 그룹의 수소 사업 추진 소식이 이어지고 있다. 정부는 로드맵을 통해 수소 에너지 보급 규모를 2018년 기준 7MW 규모에서 2022년 50MW, 2040년 2.1GW 이상으로 확대한다는 계획도 밝혔다.
이에 발맞춰 신규 수익원 확보 차원에서 핵심인 연료전지를 활용해 모빌리티 분야에도 솔루션을 제공하는 사업 계획을 세웠다. 구체적으로 '연료전지 하이브리드 파워팩'의 R&D를 진행 중이다. 소재부터 스택 설계, 시스템까지 커스터마이징이 가능하도록 개발해 드론과 지게차, 선박 등 다양한 모빌리티에 적용하겠다는 방안이다.
연료전지 파워팩은 연료전지 소재부터 스택 설계, 시스템까지 커스터마이징이 가능하도록 모듈 패키지로 구성한 전력공급 시스템이다. 제품 상용화 시기는 내년 하반기로 예상하고 있다. 다만 개발이 지연될 경우를 대비해 미국 나스닥 기업 등의 M&A도 구상하고 있다.
올해 상반기는 코로나19 영향에도 불구하고 실적 개선세를 보였다. 상반기 영업이익과 당기순이익은 전년동기대비 102.6%, 163.3% 증가한 14억원, 8억원을 기록했다. 같은 기간 매출액은 33.5% 늘어난 213억원으로 집계됐다. 영업이익률도 지난해 상반기 4.4%에서 올해 상반기 6.7%로 소폭 상승했다.
에스퓨얼셀 관계자는 "올해 초부터 모빌리티 연료전지 사업에 진출하기 위해 R&D를 진행했고 일부는 개발을 완료했는데 사업화 과정을 거쳐 내년 하반기에 상용화된 제품을 출시할 예정"이라며 "R&D와 제품 개발의 효율성을 높이기 위해서 빠른 길을 찾고 있는데 특히 시간을 단축하기 위해서 원천기술 확보나 해외업체 M&A 등을 검토하고 있다"고 설명했다.
이어 "올해 코로나19 사태의 영향으로 공공 건설 작업이 지연되면서 성장세가 당초 기대만은 못했다"면서도 "현재 건물용 수소 연료전지는 캐시카우 역할을 하면서 성장세를 이끌고 있고 향후 수소 경제 활성화 정책에 따라 수요 증가가 기대되는 상황"이라고 덧붙였다.
Originally used during the late 1800s to do the blasting in blast furnaces, the Roots-style air pump is older than the automobile. It's very simple, inexpensive and, most importantly, it can move a lot of air very precisely. This makes it great for automotive applications where a little extra power or efficiency is needed and, surprisingly, it looks like it has a future after combustion-powered cars are all but extinct.
Hydrogen fuel cells require oxygen as a part of their operation—you have to flow air over them to make power. Honda and Hyundai both use electrically operated centrifugal-style blowers to get the air needed; however, Eaton thinks it can do better with the classic Roots blower, albeit driven by an electric motor. Toyota already uses one on its Mirai, and while it may not exactly be supercharging as we know it, it's still Roots-blown forced induction.
Eaton
The company currently offers two different sizes of electric blowers for transportation applications: a 75-kilowatt unit and a 150-kilowatt unit, the kilowatt designation describing the output of the fuel cell itself. Both of them use four-lobed rotors with a twist of 160 degrees. Instead of a snout with a pulley at the end, the "TVS" blowers modified for fuel cell application have 300- to 450-volt DC electric motors mounted straight to the housing.
Eaton says it currently supplies its fuel cell superchargers to companies making hydrogen buses, although it would like to increase its sales volume and move onto more mass-market vehicles soon. The Drive reached out to Eaton to ask what the advantages of a Roots-style air pump are for fuel cell applications versus the more popular centrifugal type, but we've yet to hear back. If we had to guess, It would likely be cost and low-speed efficiency—Eaton says its units can operate below 14,000 rpm, which is much less than a centrifugal-type air pump.
But speculation aside, it's safe to say that our sustainable transportation future at least got a little bit cooler thanks to Eaton. At least we can still have our superchargers when the only thing coming out of the tailpipe is water.
The WSHA aims to help with H2 heavy duty vehicle deployment in that part of the country.
Hydrogen fuel cell industry members have formally announced the formation of a new alliance. It’s called the Western States Hydrogen Alliance (WSHA). Its goal is to effect rapid deployment of zero-emission H2-powered trucks, locomotives, buses, aircraft, aquatic vessels and off-road equipment.
The WSHA is composed of leading heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell industry leaders.
The WHSA will focus on rapidly increasing fuel cell industry vehicle development and deployment. This includes heavy duty fuel cell electric technology over several commercial sectors in 13 states in the western US.
“Hydrogen fuel cells will power the future of zero-emission mobility in these heavy-duty, hard to electrify sectors. That fact is indisputable. This new alliance exists to ensure government and industry can work efficiently together to accelerate the coming of this revolution,” said Roxana Bekemohammadi, WSHA executive director.
The WSHA is supported by an external Advisory Board comprised of current appointed and elected officials from Western states. The board will help to direct the policy activities and act as a link between the government and the industry.
Stuttgart, Germany – According to a representative survey conducted in June 2020 by the market research institute Innofact on behalf of Bosch, no powertrain types have lost any of their relevance – whether batteries or fuel cells, gasoline or diesel engines. If the 2,500 survey respondents in Germany, France, Italy, and the U.K. had to decide on a new car tomorrow, one in two would opt for a stand-alone combustion engine for their primary car and around one in three for their second car. However, when asked what would be the most prevalently used powertrain in 2030, some 68 percent of those polled see the electrical powertrain in pole position, ahead of hybrids and combustion engines. Survey participants acknowledged the potential of fuel cell-powered cars, with around one in three seeing the fuel cell as the future of mobility. “Electric mobility is on its way – and that’s good news. This year alone, Bosch is investing 500 million euros in this domain. At the same time, we’re also continuously refining the internal combustion engine – because it’s still needed,” says Dr. Stefan Hartung, member of the Robert Bosch GmbH board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.
Respondents want incentives for all powertrain types
A further question reveals respondents’ open-mindedness toward powertrains of all types: when asked whether they favor incentives for vehicles equipped solely with combustion engines, in addition to the many government subsidies for electric cars and plug-in hybrids, 70 percent of the Europeans polled answered in the affirmative. The number of respondents in favor of government incentives to buy new cars with a conventional powertrain is highest in Italy at 83 percent, and lowest in the United Kingdom at 60 percent. In France, 77 percent are in favor; in Germany, 62 percent. “Incentivizing modern combustion engines can accelerate the vehicle fleet’s renewal, which would also help the environment and the climate,” Hartung says. Just under one-third of Europeans would like to see this subsidy run to at least 9,000 euros. This is the same as the maximum rebate currently offered by the German government for the purchase of an electric car. Two findings are notable: for one, 72 percent of city dwellers in the four surveyed European countries believe the combustion engine merits a subsidy. For the other, the majority (80 percent) of 18-to-29 year-olds also endorse incentives for cars with combustion engines.
Even cars with conventional engines can run in a climate-neutral way. The key to this is renewable synthetic fuels (RSF), which are made from renewable hydrogen and CO₂ captured from the surrounding air. On average, 57 percent of those taking part in the Bosch survey agreed that RSF should benefit from tax breaks. “There’s just no way around renewable synthetic fuels if we want to achieve our climate targets,” Hartung says. “Only with RSF can the more than one billion vehicles already on the road worldwide help contain global warming.”
Can’t live without a car: respondents in Europe are unanimous
In Europe, the status of the car and its importance for mobility is unlikely to change any time soon. Around 60 percent of those surveyed in Germany, France, Italy, and the U.K. are unable to imagine living without a car altogether. And a clear majority of the remaining 40 percent are only prepared to leave their car behind some of the time. The car’s approval rating in rural Europe is 77 percent. Incidentally, these findings are roughly similar among 18-to-29 year-olds, around half of whom also come out clearly in favor of a car. While 61 percent of those surveyed in Germany and 47 percent in the U.K. cited greater flexibility as the most important reason for having a car, 41 percent of French respondents indicated they need it mostly for work. In contrast, 55 percent of surveyed Italians prefer the car to other forms of mobility that they feel are less convenient. “For the foreseeable future, the car will remain the number one means of transport – and has excellent prospects of becoming even more climate-friendly,” Hartung says. Bosch’s objective is for people to be able to stay mobile in an affordable and eco-friendly way.
The future of the powertrain: Bosch champions electromobility and combustion technology
Bosch aims to make transportation as resource-friendly as possible, and is pursuing the vision of CO₂-neutral and virtually emissions-free mobility in several ways. In its approach to future powertrain technology, the supplier of technology and services is keeping an open mind. On the one hand, Bosch aims to become the market leader in electromobility with battery and fuel cell-powered vehicles. Electric vehicles are climate-neutral if the charging power and hydrogen are sourced from renewables. On the other hand, Bosch is continuing to refine combustion engines to contain global warming and protect the environment to the greatest extent possible. If they run on RSF, gasoline and diesel engines can also be climate-neutral on the road. Bosch expects around one-third of all newly registered vehicles worldwide to be purely electric by 2030. Two-thirds of all new vehicles will still be powered by a combustion engine, many of them as hybrids.
“ Electric mobility is on its way – and that’s good news. This year alone, Bosch is investing 500 million euros in this domain. At the same time, we’re also continuously refining the internal combustion engine – because it’s still needed. ”
Dr. Stefan Hartung, member of the Robert Bosch GmbH board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector
As the fuel cell community knows, October 8, 2020 isHydrogen and Fuel Cell Day–a day that’s celebrated every year, and that reflects the increasing importance of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells in the future of transportation.
At Ballard, we are proud of our role in bringing PEM fuel cells to their current level of global prominence. For over 40 years, we have led the world in hydrogen fuel cell technology developments.
this blog, you’ll learn about Ballard’s role in developing the core PEM fuel cell technologies, and our ongoing fuel cell innovations that are increasing performance while dramatically lowering the costs of fuel cell vehicles. You’ll also get a sneak peek into our product roadmap, and what the future holds for anyone planning to develop or purchase zero-emission buses or trucks.
Delivering fuel cell technology for a cleaner planet: From core PEM technologies to complete systems
Our proprietary proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology efficiently creates zero-emission electricity from air and hydrogen, without the use of toxic materials. This core PEM technology still leads the industry—and we continue to refine it. In fact, we have invested more than $1.5 billion in PEM development.
One of our key assets is our people. Together, we are a collective team of specialized fuel cell developers. Nearly 400 scientists and engineers draw upon 4,700 person-years of experience to advance our product designs. Research and development activities are ongoing to develop new technology that is fed into each product iteration.
Our research and development activities have successfully advanced our designs.We have leveraged our work in technically challenging automotive applications, improved component robustness, scaled up our manufacturing and product processes, and developed our supply chain. These activities have contributed to the launch last year of our8th generation fuel cell modulethat leads the industry in power, cost and durability.
We continue to innovate, with a focus on practical commercial advantages
We at Ballard are not content to rest on our successes. We are continually improving our technologies—both the fuel cell engine and the manufacturing processes that create them. To expand our reach to serve a broader range of bus and truck applications, we are continuing to improve those aspects of fuel cell performance that are most critical to commercial vehicles:
Power density—packing more power in lighter, smaller modules reduces material costs. It also means we can fit fuel cell powertrains under more hoods, even in heavy-duty trucks. Our recently released new FCgen®-HPS fuel cell stack leads the industry with a power density of 4.3kW/L.
Cost reduction— lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) of commercial vehicles, from increased efficiency (which lowers fuel consumption) and better powertrain integration to recycling and refurbishing fuel cells. Lifecycle cost reductions have now made vehicles powered by Ballard technology competitive on a TCO basis for several heavy duty motive applications.(Learn more inFuel Cell Price to Drop 70-80% as Production Volume Scales.)
Durability—With over 30,000 hours of service lifetime powered on the road, Ballard-powered vehicles require only one fuel cell module overhaul during their entire service life, which results in major TCO savings. And, we see a path to even longer life fuel cells.
Looking ahead: What’s next for Ballard?
Continuous improvement to meet the market requirements for commercial vehicles requires an evolution in key fuel cell stack technology attributes. Our technical targets for the next four years are clear, as demonstrated in the chart below.
Ballard, with its vast experience, has the ability to address the trade-offs necessary at the core fuel cell component level to meet market requirements. To put it simply, we know what the technology levers are and we know how to move them to achieve these targets. One such lever is the bipolar plate design.
Proprietary bipolar plate designs deliver sustainability, long life and low cost
Within a PEM fuel cell stack, the bipolar plates are a key component that uniformly distributes fuel and air, removes heat, and prevents leakage of gases and coolant. Our proprietarycarbon bipolar plate designsprovide a strong competitive advantage.
As you can see in the chart above, Ballard is on the path to achieving a 35% reduction in cell pitch, or bipolar plate assembly thickness in our latest fuel cell stack designs. This brings the cell pitch in alignment with our competitors using metal plates. Metal bipolar plates from automakers, however, are far higher in cost.Ballard bipolar platesare:
the most durable on the market, with a service life of 35,000 hours.
the most sustainable, with reusable graphite plates.
the most cost-effective, graphite is the lowest cost material at any manufacturing volume.
So, with these advances in bipolar plate cell pitch we can deliverindustry-leading power densityat a lower cost with much higher durability. This all translates into lower lifecycle costs for the vehicle operator.
Growing our product portfolio
High power modules with scalable power levels
Our product roadmap includes the development of high-powered, scalable modules that serve a broad range of power levels, from 45 to 450kW. Scalable power levels, with shared technologies across product lines, allow us to serve markets ranging from commercial light duty truck and medium-duty vehicles (such as medium-duty trucks and buses) to heavy-duty truck applications.
Shared components simplify manufacturing and lower costs for customers. As we continually improve the performance of our fuel cell stack technologies, the improvements will be applied across all power levels, to improve vehicle performance in every one of our markets.
Partnerships will be key to our success. The heavy duty products (150-450kW) for instance, will be developed through a partnership with MAHLE, a leading international Tier 1 supplier to the commercial vehicle and automotive industry.
Ballard has prime responsibility for system design and the fuel cell stack sub-system, while MAHLE’s scope of responsibility includes balance-of-plant components, thermal management and power electronics for the complete fuel cell system. The combination of technology improvements and product industrialization will help us to achieve our 70% cost reduction target.
Why choose Ballard?
Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day is a perfect opportunity to reflect on Ballard’s pivotal role in zero-emissions transportation. We developed the core PEM technologies and, through continual innovation, we remain the global technology leader in the PEM fuel cell space. More than 3,000 Ballard-powered buses, trams, trucks, and trains are in commercial use today.
Anyone designing a fuel cell vehicle—or selecting the zero-emission trucks or buses for their fleet—should seriously consider Ballard fuel cell products for their industry-leading durability, power density, reliability, sustainability and low total life cycle cost.