Hyfindr ON-SITE: Tracking the DNA of Nuvera Fuel Cells

In June, I had the opportunity to visit the headquarters of Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC during my stay the US. Nuvera is a global manufacturer of fuel cell engines for a variety of motive and stationary applications. Their E-Series Fuel Cell Engines can power heavy-duty trucks, maritime applications, port equipment, off-road machinery and more. Nuvera is a well-known player in the hydrogen market, notable for its more than two decades of fuel cell innovation. We at Hyfindr , take pride in our efforts to understand our customers in a deeper way. I therefore was very happy to meet Olivia Tiny Tao and Gus Block at Nuvera’s global headquarters near Boston, and they were so kind as to give me to a factory tour. I was keen to find out the DNA of Nuvera.

Oliva Tao and Gus Block have been my key contacts in our business relationship with Nuvera. Gus has been with the company since its founding in 2000, which has seen several different shareholders over that time. Since 2015 Nuvera has been owned by Hyster-Yale Materials Handling (HYG). HYG designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, and services a comprehensive line of lift trucks and aftermarket parts globally. Nuvera fuel cell engines power HYG vehicles like forklifts, container handlers and other port equipment.

Nuvera is a clean technology company at its core and takes pride in its engineering capabilities. Nothing shows that better than the wall with all the patents that have been created by the company and its engineers.?

We at Hyfindr operate a B2B marketplace for the hydrogen economy (www.hyfindr.com). For that reason, I was particularly interested in the manufacturing setup and capabilities of Nuvera, and I was not disappointed. Oliva and Gus gave me the grand tour.

The entire facility is clean and efficient, something you would expect from a state-of-the-art producer of fuel cell products. It is nevertheless very good to see that in Nuvera’s case, actions follow words. In addition to their automated stack production line, the fuel cell engines are assembled by highly trained professionals, and each production step is clearly defined and monitored. I also was impressed when I learned that major components used in the fuel cell engine of Nuvera are actually designed by Nuvera itself. Impressively, the lead-time for Nuvera fuel cell engines is very short – three weeks or less!

This level of vertical integration is only possible for a company that has deep technical experience and expertise. Nuvera is now on its ninth generation of fuel cell stacks which will be used in the forthcoming 125 kW engine product. Nuvera’s fuel cell engines (comprised of the stack plus balance-of-plant components and controls for producing DC output) are available in multiple sizes, allowing for the right power output for different engine products which are being used for a broad range of applications: on- and off-road mobility, marine, and both stationary and portable power. Performance and reliability are important criteria of each Nuvera product. My friend Al Wagner , who toured?the factory with me, and I were both very impressed.

Nuvera operates testing facilities both in the headquarters and in Italy. The Nuvera Engine Test Module (ETM) is an automated fuel cell durability test facility that verifies Nuvera’s power systems meet the requirements of their customers’ applications. With the capability of simultaneously testing eight fuel cell engines under different load profiles, the?facility is unique in the industry and reflects Nuvera’s commitment to deploying high-performance, zero-emission power systems that meet the requirements of specific?real-world commercial applications. You can find out more about their testing approach in the article that we crafted together with Nuvera on Fuel Cell System Design.

Back to my search for the DNA of Nuvera. My guides Olivia and Gus each have their own take on this. For Olivia, who has been with the company for about five years, it’s all about connection and collaboration – both within the company and with its customers, suppliers, and other partners, each of whom are highly valued. Not surprisingly, it was Olivia that coined Nuvera’s tagline,

“Let’s Move the World Together.”

For Gus, one of company’s old-timers, Nuvera is about exceeding customers’ (and its own) expectations for quality, efficiency, and reliability. Gus’s focus has always been on “making hydrogen make sense” (as they also say at Nuvera) for commercially and environmentally sustainable adoption.?

Here’s my own take on Nuvera’s DNA after our “snapshot” visit. I personally believe that Nuvera is based on two main pillars. First, without a doubt, technology is at the core of Nuvera. Nuvera continues providing state-of-the-art fuel cell systems in a rapidly advancing field. Just like they have been constantly seeking improvements in their products, it is clear to me that Nuvera embraces and seeks innovation. Second, it’s about the people working at Nuvera. All the professionals I met had in common knowledge about what they were doing and a commitment to creating an emissions-free future. This is special in my assessment.

Many thanks to Nuvera for giving me all these valuable insights. Naturally, you can find their products on Hyfindr. They are happy to answer any questions you may ask in connection to their products.

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