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Mining Weekly as well several B20 visitors were this week chauffeured around Johannesburg in a platinum-catalysed hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) that journalists attending South Africa's B20 Summit witnessed being refuelled by Air Products with hydrogen from Sasol relatively quickly, with a full tank providing sufficient energy for a 500 km to 600 km journey. (Also watch attached Creamer Media video.)
Six companies were responsible for the impressive display of mine-to-market activation, which elevated the status of South Africa's platinum group metals sky-high at a time of visiting B20 delegates.
The companies work collaboratively in a green mobility partnership that emphasises the local availability within South Africa of key ingredients needed to put FCEVs on the road at a time when South Africa's promising hydrogen corridor Project Rhynbow scheme is also progressing.
The Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed Valterra Platinum, as an official sponsor of the B20 Summit, led the mine-to-market display at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton, amid an advertising hoarding that drew prominent attention to the vital contributions of Sasol, which has been producing hydrogen in major volumes in South Africa since 1950; Toyota, which provided the top-notch FCEV Mirai car that was used to chauffeur Mining Weekly on the low-noise drive around town; Air Products, which showed how refuelling speed is basically what we're used to with petrol and diesel; Bambili Energy, the women-led local manufacturer of membrane electrode assemblies needed in fuel cells; Bosch, the German giant that makes use of the products made by Bambili; and BMW, which in February last year was the car company that laid on 'sheer driving pleasure' to the Mining Weekly team with its BMW iX5 FCEV taking journalists around Midrand.
While President Cyril Ramaphosa was outlining the extent to which the hydrogen economy unpacks major potential value for the South African economy, Valterra Platinum principal: market development Fahmida Smith was reporting on FCEVs already giving taxi drivers a much longer range in Europe.
This followed Toyota new energy business development senior manager Anton Smalberger pointing out that "the best model we have is what we've seen in Europe", a reference to the fleet of 200 FCEV taxis in Berlin.
"As Anton says, it does make economic sense, because it's giving the taxi drivers much longer range, and longer use of the vehicle," Smith pointed out.
Instead of having a vehicle offline for a few hours while it recharges, the taxis come into a refuelling station and take a few minutes to refuel their FCEVs, giving them a lot more drive time.
"With that increase in drive time, they're able to then get to economies of scale. Within the South African context, we need to be cognisant that we don't have the large purse strings of Europe or the US or China, so we need to be very creative and innovative in how we do projects here, using the ecosystem approach," a reference by Smith to the combination of Valterra with PGMs, Sasol with hydrogen, Air Products with hydrogen transport and refuelling, Toyota and BMW with FCEVs, Bosch with accomplished global implementation, and Bambili and potentially more local companies with contributing manufacture.
"For us, the ecosystem is important. With this type of mobile refueller, you can have a mobile system very quickly on the ground," Smith remarked while standing alongside the mobile hydrogen dispenser provided by Air Products.
"As utilisation of the system increases, the price point decreases, and you can get to economies of scale a lot faster, eventually reaching the point of needing bulk infrastructure. You move away from the chicken-and-egg discussion and actively and innovatively drive ...

Mining Weekly driven around Joburg in platinum-based hydrogen fuel cell electric car

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