Oorja has said that its direct methanol fuel cells are novel as they utilize methanol instead of hydrogen and that methanol is advantageous due to its low cost, ready availability, and reduced volatility.
The fuel cell technology seeks to eliminate issues like the high price of compressed hydrogen gas, lack of hydrogen supply infrastructure, and hydrogen’s inherent volatility as a fuel source. The company has said that it has produced a reliable, affordable, and compact fuel cell that is 10 to 100 times more powerful than existing methanol fuel cells.
Claimed to be developed and designed as a self contained retrofit for material handling vehicles like pallet loaders, tuggers, and automated guided vehicles, the fuel cells serve as on-board battery chargers that continuously charge the batteries of these vehicles while they operate.
