Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability


Stored: Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability

Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability
Type Program
Sponsor Organization Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Top Organization Department of Energy
Creation Legislation None
Website Website
Purpose Fuel Cell Consortium boosts polymer fuel cell performance and durability for transport, cutting costs via collaborative lab research for DOE goals.
Program Start 2016
Initial Funding $30 million
Duration Ongoing
Historic No

The Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability (FC-PAD) is a Department of Energy initiative launched in 2016 under the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) to enhance the performance and durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for transportation, led by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) with a core team of five DOE national labs. Focusing on reducing platinum use and extending fuel cell life beyond the DOE’s 5,000-hour durability target, FC-PAD has driven innovations like nanostructured thin-film catalysts and advanced diagnostic tools, with over 50 publications and presentations by 2025 detailing its six thrust areas—e.g., catalysts and electrodes.[1]

Ongoing since its inception, it collaborates with industry and academia via Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), supporting DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) mission.

Official Site

Goals

  • Improve PEMFC durability to exceed 5,000 hours under real-world conditions.
  • Reduce platinum group metal content to lower fuel cell costs below $30/kW by 2020.
  • Develop tools and models to optimize performance and accelerate commercialization.[2]

Organization

The Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability is sponsored by EERE’s HFTO, with LANL as the lead, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) as deputy lead, and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) as core technical partners.

A Program Manager within HFTO oversees operations, with funding—initially $30 million over five years—supporting lab research and external projects selected via FOAs.[3] Leadership includes Rod Borup (LANL) as director, coordinating six thrust areas.

Partners

History

FC-PAD was established in 2016 as part of EERE’s Energy Materials Network to address PEMFC cost and durability barriers, building on decades of DOE fuel cell R&D.[4] Its first projects, funded via a 2016 FOA, included 3M and Vanderbilt innovations (web:0), with milestones like the 2017 Annual Merit Review showcasing early results. Expanded through ongoing FOAs, it continues to refine catalysts and membranes, aligning with HFTO’s post-2020 goals as of 2025 updates.

Funding

FC-PAD began with $30 million in 2016 from HFTO, covering a five-year plan, with an additional $13 million awarded in 2017 for specific projects.[5] Ongoing support via EERE budgets sustains core lab work and partnerships, with no end date as it adapts to DOE’s evolving fuel cell targets (e.g., $30/kW ultimate cost).

Implementation

FC-PAD conducts research across six thrust areas—catalysts, electrodes, interfaces, transport, modeling, and diagnostics—using tools like MFiX and accelerated stress tests, with results shared via fcpad.org.[6] It progresses through lab-led projects and annual reviews (e.g., 2022 AMR), integrating industry inputs from FOAs, and remains ongoing to support fuel cell electric vehicle deployment.

Related

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References