Researchers with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Construction Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL) recently collaborated with government and industry partners to develop a new way to offer relief in a time of emergency and natural disasters.
The technology, a zero-emission fuel cell-powered emergency vehicle, is a culmination of work from a consortium of federal agencies and industry partners, including the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Vehicle Technologies Office, the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science & Technology Directorate, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and Accelera™ by Cummins.
Natural disasters are occurring at an ever-increasing rate throughout the United States. From hurricanes and forest fires to flooding and many other disaster events, there is a critical need to deploy specialty disaster relief vehicles that can provide electric power, heat, water, and essential supplies to begin recovery efforts.