Zero Emission Industries (ZEI) has unveiled its FTcase, a portable hydrogen refueling solution barely larger than carry-on luggage. According to the company, FTcase eliminates the complexities of gaseous hydrogen refueling and simplifies the process for all markets.

Hydrogen fueling, traditionally a complex operation, demands the highest safety standards, ZEI said. Safe hydrogen fueling of large-scale machinery has meant complicated processes, equipment, and infrastructure that are both massively expensive and notoriously unreliable. According to ZEI, past options included:

• Move your vehicles or equipment to an existing hydrogen fueling station, which is currently few and far between;
• Build your own expensive refueling installation somewhere your equipment can get to;
• Engage “mobile” solutions that involve huge trailers with low availability and frequent downtime. Also, they are expensive.

ZEI said it invented field-validated, software-controlled technology to ensure the safety of every fueling operation. The FTcase integrates “fail-safe” systems, minimizing risks and consistently exceeding stringent safety standards.

“Trained hydrogen technicians are rare, and FTcase ensures top-notch safety with no technical staff involved,” John Motlow, chief strategy officer of ZEI said. “Staffing is no longer a barrier to hydrogen fueling.”

The FTcase’s portable design enables any industry to implement hydrogen refueling on location and, according to ZEI, can transform any gaseous hydrogen supply into a complete hydrogen fueling station.

FTcase can refuel anything from boats to cars, heavy-duty equipment, port infrastructure, commercial hauling (aka prime movers), transport trucks, work trucks, locomotives, buses, even stationary power systems and an ever-expanding array of hydrogen-powered things to come, ZEI said.

The technology behind the FTcase has been iterated and actively used over the last four years. It has successfully performed as the sole and frequent fueling solution in challenging commercial maritime environments, including a commercial ferry and ZEI’s next-generation vessel prototype, the company said. It has also been used successfully in trials with a global provider of Class 8 commercial trucks.

The FTcase is available now.