Alset GmbH

Alset GmbH

Type	GmbH
Industry	Automotive Industry
Founded	2005
Headquarters	Graz, Austria
Key people	Jose Ignacio Galindo (CEO)
Website	http://www.alset.at

Alset Global GmbH is an Austrian technology and engineering company that is specialised on hydrogen based clean mobility solutions based in Graz. Alset Global developed a patented technology, Hybrid Hydrogen system. According to Alset Global, this technology is unique that offers to run internal combustion engine pure petrol, pure hydrogen or combination of both.^[1] This technology offers a new sustainable and clean alternative to automotive industry (OEMs, vehicle fleets and others). This technology is developed to create an alternative technology to meet with new emission targets levels.^[2] Also, Alset Global is specialised on hydrogen system integrator, hydrogen gas storage and developing software to utilise the hydrogen hybrid technology in automotive industry.^[3]

Alset Hybrid Hydrogen technology was featured at Aston Martin Rapide S race car for the Nürburgring 24-Hour race in Germany. Thus, Aston Martin Rapide S became the first hydrogen-powered car to compete in a 24-Hour race and generating zero CO2 emission during the race^[4]

Product

Hybrid Hydrogen

Alset Global emphasises the importance of hydrogen technology for a sustainable mobility. The main reasons for the hydrogen usage are; renewable and no pollution to environment.^[5] These reasons increased the importance of hydrogen technology for automotive industry, especially coping with tight emission regulations. Consumption of hydrogen with internal combustion engines is first designed by French inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz on 1807. His design of hydrogen burning internal combustion engine is called de Rivaz. His design was very simple but never transferred to mass production.

Hydrogen Hybrid technology developed by the Alset Global enables automotive industry to modify the existing internal combustion engines to run with hydrogen technology. Through the Hydrogen Hybrid technology the existing internal combustion vehicle will able to reduce their CO2 emission levels to zero, and consume a renewable energy resource.^[6]

The main advantages of implementing Hydrogen Hybrid technology are; cost-efficient and practical to install, eight years of research and development conducted, tested on Nürburgring race and other extensive tests and easy to incorporate hydrogen technology.^[7]

Hybrid Hydrogen System

Hybrid Hydrogen system runs parallel to conventional petrol injection system. Alset Global designed this architecture that can be installed any vehicle with minimum modification to existing system.^[8] The shift between the petrol and the hydrogen is achieved by the software developed by the Alset Global. This software controls the ECU of the vehicle and shifts between the petrol and hydrogen fuels. The software ensures that the vehicles benefits from the hydrogen at the maximum level without risking the journey to running out of hydrogen or petrol fuels.^[9] The main reason for this system to make drivers comfortable with the range of hydrogen technology and ensuring them the petrol fuel can be supplied to system at any time. Until the hydrogen filling stations infrastructure is totally established, this fuel switch system will increase the confidence of the drivers.^[10]

Unique Character

The unique character of Hydrogen Hybrid system is the flexibility of using both petrol and hydrogen fuel depending on the driving conditions.^[11] The other hydrogen systems for internal combustion engines are not capable of using both petrol and hydrogen fuel at the same time. This characteristic of the Hydrogen Hybrid system enables to differentiate itself from the others. Eight years of research and development of Alset Global developed a very efficient way to burn hydrogen and utilise the full potential of the hydrogen fuel. However, the details of this technology are not revealed to public. Alset Global holds various patents for the future implications of this system, therefore the information is limited to public.^[12]

Idea Behind the Technology

Alset Global developed this technology after identifying a gap on the market. The gap is identified as; hydrogen fuel cell technology is expensive to develop and infrastructure is not adequate. Other alternative of hydrogen technology was only limited to hydrogen and could not put into mass production without adequate infrastructure.^[13] Also, even if the infrastructure is fully established, the existing conventional vehicles will not be able to benefit from the zero emission hydrogen technology. Therefore, an alternative system was needed to offer automotive industry to improve the efficiency of the conventional systems and benefit the automotive industry from the hydrogen technology.^[14]

Driving Experience

Alset Global conducted a special test drive in Graz for the Hydrogen Hybrid technology. Based on people who drove this technology did not experience any significant difference than a normal vehicle.^[15] As the system works with the same principle of the petrol internal combustion engine, driving experience does not alter due to an alternative fuel. However, Alset mentioned that the engine sound is nearly the same as the petrol engine. Unlike other alternative fuel technologies, the automotive makers do not have to provide an artificial engine noise for the drivers.

Driving Safety

Hydrogen Hybrid system offers the same level of safety with existing petrol powered engines. Alset Global emphasises that, the hydrogen tank designed provides the same level of safety like in petrol-powered vehicle and danger level is no more than that. Ultra high-strength fibre tanks ensure the safety of the hydrogen fuel. Alset Global supports the safety of their system through the achievement done by the Aston Martin Rapide S during the 24-hour Nürburgring Race.^[16] This race is considered as one of the toughest challenges race cars can face.

Aston Martin Rapide S

Aston Martin and Alset Global developed a Rapide S four-door, four-seat model to became the first hydrogen car to race on the 41st ADAC Zurich 24-hour Nürburgring race. The hydrogen powered Aston Martin Rapide S uses the same internal combustion petrol engine and necessary revision are done to run with hydrogen fuel among the petrol. This vehicle produces 550 PS of power and reached the top speed of 306 km/h. Also, 0 to 100 km/h sprint was achieved by only 4.9 seconds. Furthermore, Aston Martin Rapide S generated zero level of emission during the race.^[17]

The engine of the Aston Martin Rapide S used for the Hydrogen Hybrid application was a twin turbocharged 6-lt V12 engine that generated 500 PS and competes in experimental E1-XP2 class. This vehicle achieved 22 km of lap during the race without emitting any CO2 emissions.

Aston Martin Rapide S powered by Alset Hydrogen Hybrid technology managed to reach 255 km/h (160 mph) during the 24-hour Nürburgring race and finished at 119th. The hydrogen pit stop was estimated to take 45 seconds, however during the race the engineers managed to reduce the pit-stop time to 30 seconds.

Future of Alset

For future Alset Global is focused on three different areas; SUVs and luxury vehicles, motorsports and commercial vehicles. The technology introduced by the Alset Global is capable of reducing the CO2 emissions for SUVs and luxury vehicles without any compromise of driving pleasure that is emphasised by the engine noise and feeling of acceleration. The motorsport is already achieved by the Aston Martin Rapide S. And the last group is the commercial vehicles. Commercial vehicles are responsible for large amount of CO2 emission; therefore it is important to reduce the CO2 emission levels for green impact. Alset Global plans to extent their technology to engage with commercial vehicles.^[18]

One of the key limitations of the hydrogen is the refuelling network and Alset Global agreed a partnership to develop hydrogen-refuelling network with Toyota and Hyundai and extend the range of hydrogen fuel on vehicles.

London Hydrogen Project

London Hydrogen Project started on 2002 and initiated projects more than £50 million with. Specially concentrated on hydrogen taxis, buses, scooters, refuelling stations, and various other projects to improve the hydrogen technology to be engaged with mobility.^[19][20]

Award

Alset Global won, Powertrain of the Year award at the Professional Motorsport World (PMW) Expo 2013 Awards in Cologne, Germany.^[21] The awarded given to new powertrain technology applied to Aston Martin Rapide S, which enables to use both hydrogen and petrol in an internal combustion engine.^[22] This technology was used in Aston Martin Rapide S during the Nürburgring 24 Hours race

References