Category: News

As a world leader in hydrogen storage solutions, NPROXX offers talented and ambitious engineers, technicians and designers, the chance to work on innovative and ground-breaking projects in clean energy.

As demand for sustainable energy at scale increases, hydrogen is becoming progressively important. This means that the requirement for safe hydrogen storage is now at an all-time high. To meet this market need, NPROXX remains a growing business, with plans to double our workforce within the next three years.

So, what are the benefits of working at NPROXX?

 

1. New opportunities and healthy reward

The skilled, motivated and enthusiastic specialists in the NPROXX team are highly valued, which is reflected by the competitive salaries and range of other market-specific benefits on offer here. Additionally, NPROXX has a strong commitment to personal development and individual responsibility, so all our team are encouraged to expand their skills and pursue exciting projects. The opportunity to excel is clear, and exceptional performance is always well rewarded here.

2. Be a part of our journey

As a growing business, NPROXX encourages staff at all levels to get involved in shaping how the company develops. At every level, our colleagues are open to feedback and eager to welcome fresh ideas and different perspectives that new team members bring in.

3. Make a difference in a vital industry

NPROXX are pioneering hydrogen storage solutions for a cleaner future. Our employees directly contribute to work that has a significant positive impact, enabling hydrogen fuel to power By helping to change the energy industry for the better, NPROXX colleagues are contributing to a more sustainable world.

4. See the whole project

Another key attraction to is your involvement – every colleague plays a significant part in the business as the whole NPROXX team work together across every project. Everything from concept to delivery happens at our sites, which means that NPROXX staff have the opportunity to shape processes and influence decisions at every step.

NPROXX plans to achieve the aforementioned business growth sustainably – the senior management team have mapped out our future scale-up to be executed quickly, in a practical and achievable manner. If you want to be a part of our journey, visit our careers page to discover current open vacancies or contact us directly.

NPROXX has delivered the first units of an innovative new hydrogen storage system designed for passenger trains to train manufacturer Siemens Mobility GmbH in Germany. The tank systems and related technologies are used by Siemens Mobility in the prototypes of a new hydrogen-powered passenger train, as a part of its no-fossil-fuels Mireo train platform.

Initially, the trains will be trialled extensively at Siemens Mobility’s test facility at Wildenrath, Germany. These tests are likely to last throughout 2022, with the aim of the project to have hydrogen-powered passenger trains in service with the operator, Deutsche Bahn AG, in early 2023, on specific routes in south-west Germany.

The train carriages are a completely new design, rather than a retrofit, which NPROXX has worked collaboratively with Siemens Mobility on through every step. “Together we have found a very elegant way of designing a hydrogen storage system which has the same expected lifecycle as the train carriage itself,” explains Johannes Lorenz, NPROXX’s Director of Marketing and Sales.

“Our storage system is designed so that there is plenty of room for Siemens Mobility to optimise the passenger environment and provide a comfortable and spacious travel experience. Generally, commuter trains in continental Europe have drivetrains integrated into every carriage, and this is also the case in our design. The lightweight hydrogen storage system is sited on the roof of the carriage. Even when fully loaded with hydrogen gas and passengers, the loads are well within acceptable limits.”

“There have been many design challenges to overcome during the three-year design cycle, from wiring to filling,” continues Lorenz. “Filling from above is fast but impractical, so we designed a way to fill from the side that is just as effective and quick. In a two-carriage train, with tanks on both carriages, both sets of tanks are independent but feed to the same fuel cell. Our design uses four independent racks mounted on the train fed by two connecting points. Optimising all the different requirements has been a very integrative design experience.”

The Mireo Platform

The Siemens Mobility Mireo platform is a new rail system that operates completely without combustion engines. Mireo already includes battery electric vehicles, and now Siemens Mobility is working with NPROXX to develop a hydrogen-fuel-cell electric version as well. Depending on the profile of schedules, distances and various elevations on train routes, train operators of the future will be able to choose Mireo vehicles to suit their needs, either battery- or hydrogen-driven.

Come to the 2021 digital edition of Hannover Messe online and find out more about NPROXX’s range of innovative hydrogen storage solutions. You can also see how the joint venture with Cummins Inc. has made us the ideal partner to work with for end-to-end hydrogen transport solutions of all sizes and applications.

Hannover Messe, the world’s largest meeting place for the international industry community, is taking place online this year because of COVID-19. Held over five days between 12-16 April 2021, the digital exhibition offers a perfect chance to meet and network with fellow hydrogen professionals, and discover new products, solutions and innovations in the hydrogen economy.

NPROXX will be showing an introduction to its hydrogen storage solutions, capacity, innovations and the hydrogen storage solutions which have already been installed. NPROXX experts will be available across all five days to discuss hydrogen storage, both stationary and mobile. Don’t miss the release of our new video “NPROXX, a world leader in hydrogen storage solutions” on, Wednesday 14 April 15.00 h CET on the Digital Forum Program.

Come and find out how we are putting hydrogen tank systems based on Type IV pressure vessel technology into everything from buses and trucks to trains and mining vehicles, and how our innovative re-fuelling systems make supporting these vehicles a breeze.

To book time with an NPROXX consultant please email Johannes.lorenz@nproxx.com – come and enjoy a virtual visit to our stand!

Michael Himmen has joined NPROXX as Managing Director for Sales, with specific responsibility for engineering and production. Michael joins the company directly from NPROXX’s shareholder company, Cummins Inc.

A trained chemist, Michael’s career experience spans a wide range of senior engineering and commercial roles in the automotive industry in America and Europe. He has considerable experience in serving the needs of the heavy-duty and very-heavy-duty vehicles market across the globe.

Michael’s involvement with hydrogen fuel cell systems reaches back to the 1990s when he worked on early projects to develop system integrations of fuel cells with electric, battery and hybrid vehicles. Since then, he has gathered an impressive bank of experience, comprising: a range of systems integrations projects for diesel trucks of all sizes; emissions solutions; and commercial development for both aftermarket sales and OEMs in the heavy vehicle market. He has developed strong relationships within both the European and US motor markets and can boast deep experience of dealing with government and organisational regulators.

Michael joined Cummins Inc in 2015, as a Global Key Account Director, working for Cummins’ Emission Solutions division. Whilst he is now driving the development of hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles, Michael is retaining a role at Cummins. “I still have responsibility as director of fuel cell and hydrogen technology at Cummins” he says. “My role is to develop the connection between NPROXX and Cummins” says Michael. “In my previous roles at Cummins I gained strong experience dealing with government and UN and EU regulators in the after-treatment sector.”

“NPROXX and Cummins are the perfect match” continues Michael. “NPROXX has deep expertise in designing and creating safe, efficient and innovative hydrogen storage systems for both mobile and stationary use. That perfectly complements Cummins’ global reach in the market for powertrains and its family of complementary businesses in areas such as fuel cells, batteries, and other areas.”

ETC and Cummins have completed their Joint Venture in NPROXX for hydrogen storage tanks. The joint venture will continue under the name of NPROXX and will provide customers with hydrogen storage products. Leveraging more than 40 years of technology from ETC, NPROXX has been supplying carbon fibre tanks for more than two years to customers in bus, truck, train and other on-highway applications as well as for gas transportation and stationary storage. ETC and Cummins now each own 50 percent of the new joint venture.

“Our teams are now united in our shared commitment to unlock the potential of hydrogen,” comments Rainer vor dem Esche, Managing Director, NPROXX. “Together, we can provide unique and reliable hydrogen storage options that will accelerate the availability of hydrogen solutions for our customers.”

Find out more 

NPROXX has been nominated for the AC²-Innovationspreis 2020, an innovation award from the German region of Aachen. The prestigious jury of politicians and business representatives selected five candidates on the 20th of August, one of which was the technology company which specializes in the development and manufacturing of hydrogen storage systems.

“The candidates represent the enormous potential for innovations in our region,” said jury chairman and district administrator of the Euskirchen district, Günter Rosenke. Other nominees for the innovations award are oculavis GmbH, EuLog Service GmbH, Caritas Betriebs- und Werkstätten GmbH (CBW) and telehealthcare GmbH.

The winner will be announced at the award ceremony, which takes place in November in the Coronation Hall of the Aachen town hall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the award ceremony will only host a small number of attendees this year. Additional options will be offered to follow the event online. All candidates and their innovations will be presented in a short film.

If you haven’t yet heard of the hydrogen economy – you soon will do! As mankind seeks to replace dirty fossil fuels with reliable sources of low- or no-emissions energy that have the capability to sustain our ever-increasing demand for power, hydrogen is emerging as an obvious choice to meet these needs.

“Renewable energy sources like wind and solar power have the capability to meet our needs for electrical power, but we also need scalable solutions for mobility, to replace the petrol, diesel and other fossil fuels that are consumed by vehicles all around the world every day” explains Rainer vor dem Esche, Managing Director NPROXX.

“At NPROXX we see a future where our cities and motorways are used by vehicles of all sizes, using hydrogen and emitting only water. We believe this is the only viable solution for completely clean transport. We also see a future where domestic power can be supplied using solar panels, an electrolysis machine and a hydrogen fuel cell, to give heated and lit homes that are completely carbon-free.”

“What’s exciting about this vision is that, while the core technology is proven and feasible, there are lots of technical challenges and opportunities for innovation that haven’t been solved yet. To achieve this, we have to completely re-think and re-build our energy infrastructure. It’s a massive technological challenge, but one that will deliver huge returns for those involved in shaping the future.”

Exciting opportunities for engineers, scientists and technicians

“For an engineer, a scientist, a technician or any skilled worker in the energy industry who is interested in contributing to the establishment of a truly sustainable, scalable and clean energy supply, the Hydrogen business is a great business to get into now. There are some phenomenal opportunities to get in near the start of what is going to be an energy revolution – the Hydrogen economy.”

NPROXX is a world leader in the safe storage and transportation of Hydrogen for use as fuel. If you’re a talented scientist, engineer, technician, designer and want to know more about working in the Hydrogen economy, please contact careers@nproxx.com with a copy of your CV.

At Meckenheim, near Cologne, a ground-breaking new Hydrogen refuelling station for city buses is set to become operational soon. Operating as part of a consortium NPROXX has designed, manufactured and installed a key part of this refuelling station which will be operated by the regional transport operator, Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) – a container full of newly-designed Type 4 pressure vessels which store the hydrogen fuel efficiently.

As well as designing a completely new type 4 pressure vessel for this project to facilitate faster refuelling and greater volume of storage for the fuel, NPROXX has also designed and built the storage infrastructure needed to deliver the fuel efficiently. This consists of a standard-sized container, pipework, framing and all other infrastructure, optimised to enable greater storage volume and faster refuelling.

“This is a success for the entire NPROXX Team and proves again that we have the creative design skills and manufacturing capabilities to create space-saving, efficient hydrogen storage facilities” says Lukas Kalt, Manager for transport and infrastructure at NPROXX. “We have developed and certified every aspect of this project from scratch, tailoring our designs to the needs of this specific project. Now we are collecting data from the operation to ensure we can optimise the efficiency of the storage and refuelling process for the future.”

Powering a fleet of 20 hydrogen buses

NPROXX has acted as part of a consortium of organisations to deliver this refuelling station that will power a fleet of 20 city buses as they travel through the Rhein-Sieg-District near Cologne every day. The official opening ceremony for the fuel station has been delayed by the coronavirus crisis, but it is expected to take place this summer, with many distinguished guests from German regional and national governments in attendance.

For now, one container is on site holding more than 500 kilograms of hydrogen gas and ready to refuel buses with clean, emission-free and efficient energy for public transport. Later this year, NPROXX will install a second container of the same size at the site. Once this second container is in place, the fuelling station will be able to refuel the whole fleet of hydrogen-powered fuel cell buses. At the Meckenheim hydrogen station a bus can refuel completely in as little as 10 minutes. With one full tank of hydrogen the bus can drive a distance of 350 kilometers, producing only one emission: water.

Earlier this year, the German government announced that it would shut down all its coal-burning power stations within twenty years, as part of its drive to move to a carbon-free economy. Given that Germany has been the world’s biggest producer of lignite (coal) for decades, this was truly momentous news.

NPROXX’s home region of North Rhine Westfalia (NRW) in western Germany is one of the three main areas in the country for producing coal from open cast mines. Historically the coal mining industry has provided the power source for a range of other heavy industries in the area.

Many jobs in NRW currently rely on coal, but the area is also at the heart of the drive to develop and use new technologies to solve the carbon-free challenge. Many new companies and research institutes in the area are pioneering new technologies such as hydrogen fuel cell development and other advances in renewable energy technologies.

Furthermore, the area is also ideal to make use of the new concept called ‘sector coupling’. NRW has strong knowledge in the energy industry and a large number of renewable energy plants. Sector coupling makes use of renewable energy produced by sustainable energy installations like wind and solar farms, converts it into hydrogen gas using an electrolysis-based process, and then stores that gas at high pressure for use elsewhere, such as inner-city buses or heavy-duty vehicles. This helps to solve the emission problems in the city centers in the area and to provide carbon-free energy.

NPROXX is situated at the heart of this emerging technology hub. We manufacture high-strength, lightweight type 4 pressure vessels made from wound carbon fibre which are used to store hydrogen gas at high pressures, up to 700bar. Our pressure vessels are extensively tested and certified for use in a range of mobile and stationary applications. Working with a range of the world’s most prominent transport and automotive companies, as well as many high-tech partners from NRW, NPROXX also designs and produces complete end-to-end solutions for hydrogen transport and storage.