New Hydrogen CEO Steve Hill and University of Houston Expert Discuss Hydrogen Adoption and Current State of Hydrogen Vehicles

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Nov. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NewHydrogen, Inc. (OTCMKTS), the developer of ThermoLoop™, a breakthrough technology that uses water and heat rather than electricity to produce the world’s cheapest green hydrogen, today announced a podcast featuring CEO Steve Hill and Dr. Kaushik Rajashekara, a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at the University of Houston.

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Highlights from the Podcast

Dr. Rajashekara discusses his early work at GM in the late 1980s on electric vehicles, transitioning technology from prototype to production, particularly focusing on the EV1. He also highlights his involvement in fuel cell technology, including developing the first gasoline reformer-based fuel cell vehicle and the shift toward hydrogen fuel cells without onboard reformers. Additionally, he touches on his work with Rolls-Royce on solid oxide fuel cells for power generation applications.

On the challenges in hydrogen adoption, Dr. Rajashekara addresses the "chicken and egg" problem of fuel cell vehicle infrastructure versus vehicle availability. He notes slow progress due to high costs and a lack of refueling stations. Dr. Rajashekara highlights hydrogen fuel cells as better suited for heavy-duty vehicles like buses, trucks, and ships, while battery electric vehicles are more efficient for passenger transport.

Dr. Rajashekara also explores potential applications of hydrogen in aviation, including the Joby aircraft's use of hydrogen power. He emphasizes hydrogen’s advantages over batteries in aircraft, citing quicker refueling and lighter weight for longer distances.

Insights on Hydrogen’s Future

Dr. Rajashekara concludes with optimism about hydrogen's role in sustainable transportation, particularly for heavy-duty and aviation applications, while recognizing the challenges in passenger vehicle markets.

Dr. Kaushik Rajashekara received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He has held several distinguished positions, including Chief Technologist for Electric Power & Control Systems at Rolls-Royce Corporation. He is a recipient of the 2022 Global Energy Prize for outstanding contributions to transportation electrification and energy efficiency technologies while reducing power generation emissions. He is also a Member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE).

Watch the full discussion on the NewHydrogen Podcast featuring Dr. Kaushik Rajashekara.

About NewHydrogen, Inc.

NewHydrogen is developing ThermoLoop™ – a breakthrough technology that uses water and heat rather than electricity to produce the world’s lowest-cost green hydrogen. Hydrogen is the cleanest and most abundant element in the universe and is essential for producing fertilizers, transportation fuel, refining oil, and making steel, glass, pharmaceuticals, and more. Nearly all hydrogen today is made from hydrocarbons like coal, oil, and natural gas, which are dirty and limited resources.

Currently, the most common method of making green hydrogen is to split water into oxygen and hydrogen with an electrolyzer using green electricity produced from solar or wind. By using heat directly, ThermoLoop™ skips the expensive process of making electricity, fundamentally lowering the cost of green hydrogen. Heat can be sourced from concentrated solar, geothermal, nuclear reactors, and industrial waste heat. Working with a world-class research team at UC Santa Barbara, NewHydrogen’s goal is to help usher in the green hydrogen economy, which Goldman Sachs estimates will have a future market value of $12 trillion.