The challenge

Background and context

The CAF and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) aim to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. The DND is tasked with procuring green vehicles (battery or hydrogen-powered) and developing decarbonization plans for operational fleets. Transitioning commercial fleets to zero-emission platforms is underway, but replacing fossil fuels for operational platforms (ships, planes, armored vehicles) presents significant challenges, such as the complex transition process from the legacy source of energy to renewable sources, the limitations of energy density in renewable sources, their environmental impact, the heavy infrastructure required, etc. Alternative fuels like ammonia, methanol, ethanol, and biofuels are being explored, but face adoption issues related to safety, cost, and infrastructure.

Battery and hydrogen-powered vehicles for military use face additional hurdles: batteries need extensive charging infrastructure, which is scarce in military zones and vulnerable to attacks or natural disasters; conventional hydrogen storage requires high-pressure compression (350-700 bar) or cooling to -253°C, both of which are challenging for operational platforms in hostile environments. Overcoming these additional hurdles is crucial for the decarbonization of DND/CAF ground vehicles to meet net-zero goals, without negatively affecting operations.

Essential outcomes

We are seeking innovative solid-state hydrogen storage solutions to support the decarbonization of Canadian Army heavy ground vehicles (such as logistic and/or armored vehicles) thus enabling their safe use in operational environments.

Proposed solutions must:

• Provide a safe method to store and transport hydrogen for military logistics in extreme and vulnerable environments. In this context, safe means non-toxic to humans, non-flammable in the temperature envelope of -45°C to 50°C, resistant to mechanical ignition, lower flammability compared to other liquid/gas fuels, unable to self-sustain combustion in the absence of oxygen, and does not have adverse exothermic reactions with common compounds such as water, air, etc.;
• Be compact with a minimum energy density of 500 Wh/L;
• Ensure scalability, so that as the system grows, the refueling time remains unaffected; and,
• Be survivable, so the solution can sustain physical stress without becoming damaged immediately. This includes torsion, vibrations, and other mechanical stresses. It must survive being hit with kinetic or explosive projectiles without going into catastrophic failure or explosion.

Desired outcomes

In addition to the essential outcomes, proposed solutions should include characteristics such as, but not limited to:

• Demonstrate that it can be applicable across different platforms, such as ships and aircraft.
• Demonstrate that it can achieve higher energy densities than current batteries (250-500 Wh/kg, and 700 Wh/L).
• Be adaptable, so the solution can be designed using multiple form factors, sizes, and capabilities, for different applications.
• Be affordable, so the solution can be cheaper to store 1 kg of hydrogen than current methods, which are $10-16/kg with gas or liquid hydrogen storage solutions.
• Be ruggedized, so the solution has as few moving components and electronics as possible to reduce the number of failure points.