RealHyFC project hosts second technical workshop: advancing innovation in PEMFC stack design and operation
📍 Stuttgart, Germany – December 2025
The RealHyFC project, funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and supported by Hydrogen Europe and Hydrogen Europe Research, successfully held its Second Technical Workshop, showcasing cutting-edge research and collaborative innovation in PEM fuel cell (PEMFC) stack design and operation for heavy-duty applications.
Held at DLR (German Aerospace Center), the workshop brought together experts from across Europe to discuss significant progress made over the past year by the nine-member consortium.
🔍 Workshop Highlights
Chaired by Sylvie Escribano and Jean-Philippe Poirot-Crouzevier of CEA, the workshop featured two technical panels focused on the dual pillars of the project: understanding stack behavior and developing tools for better operation and durability.
Panel 1 – Characterizing PEMFC Stack Performance
Key topics included:
- Real-world conditions tests: Three reference stacks, CDM, ODM, and ODC, underwent in-situ testing to assess the sensitivity to operating conditions and durability following a representative cycle. Results allowed to comparing different designs and materials (metal vs carbon plates) and analysing performance degradation.
- Spatial in-situ diagnostics: High-resolution current density distribution and impedance spectroscopy mapping unveiled localized performance losses and particular degradation zones on the surface of the cells.
- Stress heterogeneity modelling: A homogenization method was presented to describe internal distribution of stresses in stack components, hence allowing to improve mechanical behavior prediction.
Panel 2 – Innovative Developments & Stack Management
The second panel showcased:
- Carbon-based open-design stack (ODC): Developed by ZSW, this stack integrates design flexibility and comparability to reference metal-based ODM architecture.
- Control algorithms: AVL, CEA and University of Ljubljana presented model-based solutions enabling real-time state-of-health monitoring and degradation prediction via virtual sensors, operating conditions and functional features observers.
- Simulation insights: Model-in-the-loop validation approaches are enabling digital twin methodologies for stack operation optimization.
🧪 Scientific Dissemination
The RealHyFC team has already contributed to three major conferences in 2025, including:
- ModVal25, Karlsruhe (March)
- European Fuel Cell Forum 2025, Luzerne (July)
- 76th Annual Meeting ISE 2025, Mainz (September)
- EFCH2 2025, Capri (September)
Key findings from these events were shared during the workshop, reinforcing RealHyFC’s role as a driver of scientific excellence.
🌍 Driving the Hydrogen Transition
As hydrogen gains momentum in Europe’s decarbonization strategy, RealHyFC is focused on reducing costs and increasing durability of PEMFC systems, especially for trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles. By combining mechanical modeling, real-world stack testing, and smart monitoring tools, the project is paving the way for the next generation of industrial fuel cells.
The workshop reinforced the consortium’s commitment to open-design principles, transparency, and wide dissemination to ensure replicability and industrial adoption.
What’s Next?
The RealHyFC consortium looks ahead to:
- Integrating new improvements with the IODC design and advanced stack conception models.
- Testing real-time control algorithms on systems prototype platforms.
- Deepening collaboration with European stakeholders to enhance standardization and upscaling potential.