Development and Demonstration of a Mobile Fuel Cell Generator (MFCG)
RockeTruck, Inc.
Recipient
Escondido, CA
Recipient Location
40th
Senate District
76th
Assembly District
$1,842,904
Amount Spent
Active
Project Status
Project Update
Honda offered to provide fuel cells and related support for the MFCG project. In the immediate term, Honda agreed to supply four fuel cells, “repurposed” from fuel cell-powered “Clarity” automobiles that had been taken out of service. For longer term use, Honda agreed to supply RockeTruck with its newer “Next Generation” fuel cell, which Honda plans to mass-produce in the United States starting in the middle of this decade. To meet earlier MFCG development requirements, Honda agreed to provide pre-production versions of the Next Generation fuel cell to RockeTruck, starting in June 2023.
The Issue
Project Innovation
The purpose of this Agreement is to fund development, testing, and evaluation of the “MFC-120”, a new generator product RockeTruck will assemble in California and market commercially to meet growing needs for flexible backup power solutions. The MFC-120 is so named because it will generate up to 120 kilowatts (kW) of power, combining 60 kW from hydrogen fuel cells and 60 kW from lithium-ion batteries.
Project Goals
Project Benefits
The MFCG will deliver significant energy efficiency and emissions reduction benefits by replacing fossil fuel generators. A typical diesel generator generates about 13 kWh of net electrical energy output per gallon of fuel, based on 40.7 kWh energy content per gallon and engine-generator operating efficiency of 32% (source: U.S. Energy Information Administration). Based on EPA data indicating that each gallon of diesel fuel produces 10.1 kg of CO2, assuming a use case of 2,000 hours/year at an average power output of 20 kW, one MFCG using “green” hydrogen will eliminate 31,077 kg of CO2 annually. Based on projected cumulative sales of 1,762 MFCG systems from 2025 through 2030, aggregate CO2 reductions from MFCG utilization could reach 54,758 metric tons per year by the end of 2030. In addition to CO2 reduction, the MFCG will eliminate production of criteria pollutants at the point of operation, reducing the exposure of people near the generator to carbon monoxide and particulate matter, while also reducing production of smog-creating oxides of nitrogen.
Key Project Members
Michael Simon
Subrecipients
California State University, Los Angeles
Match Partners
San Diego Gas &
Electric Company
Southern California Edison
RockeTruck, Inc.
Coulomb Solutions, Inc.
