Rheinmetall gets big contract for H2 blowers

Rheinmetall’s Sensors and Actuators division said it has won a new order for more than 150,000 of its HRB 1800 hydrogen recirculation blowers. The contract, worth a figure in the mid-double-digit million-euro range, is from a new customer and the units will be installed in trucks and buses.

Rheinmetall has received an order for more than 150,000 of its HRB 1800 hydrogen recirculation blowers from a European truck and bus manufacturer. (Photo: Rheinmetall)

For Rheinmetall subsidiary Pierburg, this is an important milestone in the development of fuel cell technology, with testing of samples by the customer resulting in a full-scale production order. Production of the HRB 1800 blowers begins in 2026 and ends five years later in 2030. Follow-up orders are expected, the company said.

The hydrogen recirculation blowers play an important role in the fuel cell system by returning hydrogen unused in the reaction to the fuel cell stack. Designed to assure low leakage throughout their service life, the Pierburg blowers are available in high- and low-voltage versions. Designed to be compact, the blowers also feature excellent noise, vibration and harshness characteristics, the company said. The electric output ranges from 0.7 to 2 kW or up to 400 watts in the low-voltage model. They are powered by a brushless motor controlled without sensors. For data transmission, LIN and CAN bus communications and diagnostic functions are present.