Testing begins on the fuel cell system developed by CNH2 and UROVESA for the hydrogen vehicle intended for the Ministry of Defence.

The National Hydrogen Centre has begun testing the fuel cell propulsion system that it is developing, in collaboration with the company UROVESA, for the VAMTAC ST5 SK military vehicle as part of the Ministry of Defence’s COINCIDENTE programme. This is an important step towards the decarbonisation of military transport through hydrogen, a key technology for advancing energy efficiency and sustainability in the field of defence.

The propulsion system, consisting of a PEM hydrogen fuel cell, lithium-ion batteries, power electronics, control system and cooling subsystems, is being tested at the CNH2 facilities. The tests will validate the integration of the components, check the energy response of the assembly and analyse its behaviour under different operating modes.

The project, called VAMTAH, seeks to adapt clean propulsion technologies to the military environment, maintaining the robustness and capabilities that characterise the VAMTAC, a vehicle widely used by the Armed Forces. The challenge is to ensure that its hydrogen-based propulsion unit maintains the vehicle’s original performance, optimising parameters such as range, consumption, power, mass and ease of maintenance.

Since the initiative began, CNH2 has carried out analysis, design and technological validation tasks, including the evaluation of market options, the estimation of hydrogen consumption and the sizing of the main components. Safety has also been an important pillar of the project, addressed by CNH2 through HAZOP analyses and ATEX studies that guarantee the integrity of the system and its safe behaviour under any operating conditions.

With the commencement of these tests, the project enters a new phase that will enable progress towards validation of the complete system prior to final integration into the vehicle.