Tech Insider / WAE EVRh UK-BASED WAE HAS TAKEN ITS HIGH-PERFORMANCE EVR TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH THE ADDITION OF A HYDROGEN FUEL CELL Words: Lawrence Butcher n 2022, UK-based WAE, now owned by the Fortescue mining concern, debuted its EVR concept – a modular high-performance BEV platform (see Flexible performer , September 2022, p14*) intended to provide vehicle manufacturers with a flexible basis for sporting EVs. Now, the company has taken the concept a step further with the EVRh, a version equipped with a fuel cell. Development of the FCEV variant began around six months after the pure BEV. “We have used the EVRh as a testbed to get involved in more hydrogen systems,” says Sam Dew, project engineer at WAE. The company sourced the fuel cell from Intelligent Energy, because it aims to gain experience of the integration challenges rather than becoming a fuel cell developer. “Looking at the battery technology and how we can best utilize our experience specifically in hydrogen vehicles, there are some quite unique challenges and it is not just the same as a BEV,” notes Dew. These differences are not simply in the control strategies used but also in the battery chemistry and structure. I HYDR EVOLU PLATFORM FLEXIBILITY WAE has exploited the modular nature of its EVR platform to integrate a fuel cell without any major structural changes RIGHT SIZING The battery pack acts as a buffer for the fuel cell (which has an output of 120kW) and enables a 550kW maximum power output of the entire powertrain. “Being the EVR, we are looking at Nürburgring-type applications 14 Automotive Powertrain Technology International.com / January 2024