Alset GmbH

Alset Global emphasises the importance of hydrogen technology for a sustainable mobility. The main argument for hydrogen usage is its renewable energy attribute and the fact that it does not pollute the environment.[5] These reasons have elevated the importance of hydrogen technology in the automotive industry, which has been trying to cope with tight emission regulations due to the threat of climate change. Combustion of hydrogen in internal combustion engines was first designed by French inventor Francois Isaac de Rivaz in 1807. His design of a hydrogen burning internal combustion engine is called de Rivaz. His design was very simple but never transferred to mass production.

The Hydrogen Hybrid technology developed by Alset Global enables the automotive industry to transform existing internal combustion engines into hybrid hydrogen engines. Through the Hydrogen Hybrid technology, the existing internal combustion vehicles are able to reduce their CO2 emission levels to zero and consume a renewable energy resource.[6]

The main advantage of implementing a Hydrogen Hybrid technology is its cost-efficiency and practicality to install. The eight years of research and development that have been conducted and tested in the Nürburgring race among other tests have proven that it is easy to incorporate the hydrogen technology.[7]

The Hybrid Hydrogen system runs parallel to a conventional petrol injection system. Alset Global designed this architecture that it can be installed in any vehicle with minimum modification to the existing system.[8] The shift between the petrol and the hydrogen is achieved by the software developed by Alset Global. This software controls the ECU of the vehicle and shifts between the petrol and hydrogen fuels. The software ensures that the vehicle's benefits from the hydrogen are at its maximum level without risking the journey to run out of hydrogen or petrol fuels.[9] The main reasoning behind this system is to make drivers comfortable with the range of hydrogen and ensure them that petrol fuel can be supplied to the system at any time. Until the infrastructure for hydrogen filling stations is totally established, Alset Global's fuel switch system will increase the confidence and serenity of drivers who wish to make long road trips.[10]

The unique character of the 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 that have been developed by other automobile companies are not capable of using both petrol and hydrogen fuel at the same time. Hence, this characteristic of the Hydrogen Hybrid system differentiates Alset Global from the others. Eight years of research and development have led to a very efficient way to burn hydrogen and use the fuel's full potential. Nevertheless, the details of this technology are not revealed to public. Alset Global holds various patents for the future implications of this system and therefore the information is concealed.[12]

Alset Global developed this technology after identifying a gap in the hydrogen market. Indeed, hydrogen fuel cell technology is expensive to develop and a hydrogen infrastructure has not been established yet. Because the fuel cell technology is limited to hydrogen, it cannot be mass-produced without adequate infrastructure.[13] Furthermore, even if the infrastructure was to be fully established, the existing conventional vehicles running on internal combustion engines would not be able to benefit from the zero emission hydrogen technology. Today, internal combustion engines represent 99.9% of the market. Therefore, Alset Global's alternative system is needed to transform and improve conventional vehicles and ultimately benefit the automotive industry from the developing hydrogen infrastructure.[14]

Alset Global conducted a special test drive in Graz for the Hydrogen Hybrid technology. Based on people who drove with this technology, the experience running on a mixture of hydrogen and petrol compared to petrol alone was not significantly different.[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. Indeed, Alset mentioned that the engine sound is nearly the same as the petrol engine. Therefore, unlike other alternative fuel technologies, the automotive makers do not have to provide an artificial engine noise for the drivers.

The Hydrogen Hybrid system offers the same level of safety as existing petrol powered engines. Alset Global emphasises that the hydrogen tank designed provides the same level of safety as a petrol-powered vehicle and that the danger level is no more than that. Indeed, ultra high-strength fibre tanks ensure the safety of the hydrogen fuel. Alset Global has proven the complete safety of its system through the safety requirements met at Nürburgring's 24-hour Race.[16] This race is considered as one of the toughest technical challenges race cars can face in the world. In addition, hydrogen is known to be as much as four times more diffusive than natural gas. This means that if hydrogen gas is leaking, it will quickly go up in the atmosphere. Furthermore, when hydrogen burns, its radiant heat is just one-tenth that of a hydrocarbon fire. Finally, hydrogen burns 7% cooler than gasoline.[17]

The London Hydrogen Project started in 2002 and initiated projects with more than £50 million. The Hydrogen Project is especially concentrated on hydrogen taxis, buses, scooters, refueling stations, and various other projects to enable hydrogen mobility.[20][21]