Thanks to ElringKlinger's fuel cell stack: snowmobile runs emission-free

Dettingen/Erms, March 3, 2020 +++ 

The Ski World Cup in Hinterstoder, Austria, provided the perfect setting for the presentation of a hydrogen-based product innovation for winter tourism. The "Lynx HySnow" of the engine manufacturer Rotax was presented. This is the first emission-free snow vehicle powered by an electric drive with fuel cell. ElringKlinger was one of the partner companies in this project and equipped the snowmobile with a fuel cell stack on the NM5 platform.

After several years of intensive research and development, the motorized sled was presented to the public for the first time as a concept vehicle. The basis was a conventional snow vehicle, as it has been used for years in various ski areas. The vehicle was completely modified and equipped with an electric drive including fuel cell.

Due to its emission-free drive, the Lynx HySnow is not only a showcase project in terms of sustainability – the required hydrogen is produced on site from solar power by means of electrolysis – but also has other convincing advantages: Thanks to the innovative drive system, the vehicle runs almost noiselessly and offers considerable advantages over purely electrically powered vehicles, especially at very low temperatures. In addition, it achieves longer ranges and better acceleration values than a conventional electric drive. The potential applications of the Lynx HySnow are primarily seen in winter tourism.

The NM5 PEM fuel cell stack developed and produced by ElringKlinger is one of three standardized stack platforms currently available with different performance ranges. The NM5 has an electrical output of 6 to a maximum of 70 kWel. It is therefore ideally suited for use in light commercial vehicles and comparable applications. The stack is operated with hydrogen and air; it is cooled by a commercial glycol-based coolant for fuel cells.