EKPO supplies fuel cell stacks for intralogistics vehicles

• EKPO develops and supplies fuel cell stacks for Globe Fuel Cell Systems
• Agreement includes cooperation in the development and production of a fuel cell powertrain for intralogistics applications based on the NM5-evo Stacks of EKPO
• EKPO will exclusively take over series production and industrialization of the stacks after the development phase, which is scheduled to start after the planned market entry of the Globe XLP powertrain in early 2023
• Term of the development and supply contract of initially four years

Dettingen/Erms (Germany), March 02, 2022 +++ EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH (EKPO) and Globe Fuel Cell Systems GmbH (Globe) have agreed on a development and supply contract for fuel cell stacks for intralogistics vehicle powertrains. Within this cooperation, EKPO will contribute its know-how on stack related periphery, their interfaces and the parameters for maximum efficiency and durability. EKPO will then exclusively supply the stack modules for Globe's fuel cell system, starting from 2023.

"The agreement with Globe again demonstrates that our fuel cell stacks have a wide range of potential applications. EKPO already has the installed capacity to produce fuel cell stacks industrially, which is critical to support ambitious and fast projects such as Globe's", says Julien Etienne, Chief Commercial Officer at EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies. "Our stack modules offer the best combination of power density, compact design and light weight in the market. This package makes EKPO a reliable and innovative partner."

The contract partner Globe is a young German green tech company from Stuttgart, which emerged from Mercedes-Benz's innovation division in 2020.There they develop modular and digitally networked fuel cell units for a wide range of applications such as intralogistics, the marine sector or stationary applications. "The partnership with EKPO allows us to achieve even more quality and speed in the development of our XLP series for the intralogistics market", comments Steffen Bäuerle, Managing Director at Globe. "It is great to work with a partner like EKPO from the region and thus drive our GreenTech approach - Made in Germany - with which we accompany the industry into a CO₂-neutral future."

The EKPO NM5-evo PEM Stack platform meets the customer's stringent requirements for a durable, compact fuel cell stack design while maintaining high power density. EKPO's stack family, demonstrate market benchmark values of above 6.0 kW/l in the cell block. The stack design also enables the best basis for scaling and modularization, allowing Globe's fuel cell system to be designed with maximum flexibility and efficiency.

EKPO, through its parent company ElringKlinger, has been developing and researching fuel cell technology for over 20 years. The high-performance and compact stacks are based on proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology and convert chemical energy into electrical energy using hydrogen and oxygen.