physics

Intelligent Energy

Intelligent Energy is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Intelligent Energy rather than just read about it. In short: Intelligent Energy is a fuel cell engineering business focused on the development, manufacture and commercialisation of its proton-exchange membrane fuel cell technologies for a range of markets including automotive, stationary power, materials handling equipment and UAVs. Headquartered in the UK with representation in the US, Japan, South Korea, and China.

Key takeaways

Intelligent Energy belongs to physics; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Intelligent Energy to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Intelligent Energy from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Intelligent Energy is a fuel cell engineering business focused on the development, manufacture and commercialisation of its proton-exchange membrane fuel cell technologies for a range of markets including automotive, stationary power, materials handling equipment and UAVs. Headquartered in the UK with representation in the US, Japan, South Korea, and China.

History The origins of Intelligent Energy began at Loughborough University in the UK during the late 1980s, when the University became one of Europe's first research and development centres for proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology. In 1995, the UK's first kW-level PEM fuel cell stack was produced by the R&D team. In June of that year, Advanced Power Sources (APS) Ltd was founded as a spin-off from Loughborough University by Paul Adcock, Phil Mitchell, Jon Moore and Anthony Newbold, and was the first company in the UK formed specifically to address the development and commercialisation of PEM fuel cells. Founded by Harry Bradbury, Intelligent Energy was established in 2001, acquiring Advanced Power Sources Ltd, together with its personnel and fuel cell related intellectual property that originated from research conducted by both APS and Loughborough University into PEM fuel cell technology. This triggered investment and enabled the company to grow its business activities. In March 2005, it launched the ENV, the world's first purpose-built fuel cell motorbike, which gained the company recognition as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum in 2006. The ENV incorporated the company's air-cooled fuel cell technology hybridised with a battery pack to provide 6kW peak load to the motor to improve performance during spikes in power demand i.e. acceleration. In 2007, a partnership was announced with Suzuki Motor Corporation to develop hydrogen fuel cells for a range of vehicles. In 2008, Intelligent Energy established the company IE-CHP in a joint venture with SSE plc, to develop fuel cells and other technologies for CHP (Combined Heat and Power) applications. In the same year, Intelligent Energy also produced the power system for the first fuel cell powered crewed flight in conjunction with Boeing. In 2010, its fuel-cell taxi received The Engineer Technology and Innovation Award. In March 2011, the Suzuki Burgman fuel cell scooter, equipped with Intelligent Energy's fuel cell system, became the first fuel cell vehicle to achieve European Whole Vehicle Type Approval. In 2012, SMILE FC System Corporation, a joint venture between Intelligent Energy and Suzuki Motor Corporation, was established to develop and manufacture air-cooled fuel cell systems for the automotive and a range of industry sectors. During the same year, a fleet of fuel cell taxis incorporating Intelligent Energy's technology was used during the 2012 London Olympics. Part of the European Union-funded HyTEC (Hydrogen Technologies in European Cities) project launched in 2011, the taxis were used to transport VIP guests of the Mayor of London around the city. In 2013, SMILE FC Corporation announced that it had established a ready-to-scale production line for its fuel cell systems, utilising Intelligent Energy's semi-automated production technology. IE-CHP also received CE certification for its first-generation product, a 10 kWe/12 kWth combined heat and power (CHP) fuel cell. The certification allows the product to be sold in the European Economic Area, confirming that the product satisfies all the EU regulatory and conformity assessment procedures covering the design, manufacture, and testing of the system. Intelligent Energy was acquired by Meditor Energy, part of the Meditor Group, in October 2017. In 2018, Intelligent Energy announced the launch of its IE-LIFT 802/804 fuel cell modules for power generation applications such as stationary power, micro-grids, telecoms, and critical infrastructure.

Technology Intelligent Energy's fuel-cell technology is divided into two platforms: air-cooled (AC) and evaporatively-cooled (EC). The air-cooled fuel cell systems use low-power fans to provide cooling and the oxidant supply for operation. Heat from the fuel cell stack is conducted to cooling plates and removed through airflow channels, a simplified and cost-effective system for the power range from a few watts to several kilowatts. They are used in a wide range of UAV, stationary power and automotive applications for two-wheel and small car range extender applications. Evaporatively-cooled (EC) fuel cell systems provide power generation from a few kilowatts up to 200kW. Efficient thermal management of the EC fuel cell stack reduces system complexity, mass and cost. These systems are designed for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing, and use modular architecture that can be quickly modified to suit the application.

Market sectors

Automotive In 2010, the company was involved in the development of the report entitled “A portfolio of power-trains for Europe: a fact-based analysis. The role of Battery Electric Vehicles, Plug-In Hybrids and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles”, produced by McKinsey & Company with input from car manufacturers, oil and gas suppliers, utilities and industrial gas companies, wind turbine and electrolyser companies as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations. The report concluded, amongst other findings, that fuel cell vehicles are technology ready, and cost competitive, and that decarbonisation targets for Europe are unlikely to be met without the introduction of fuel cell powertrains.

Membership of industry consortia and trade associations The company is a founding member of UKH2 Mobility, a government and industry group aiming to accelerate the commercial roll-out of hydrogen vehicles in 2014/15;

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Intelligent Energy

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Intelligent Energy claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Intelligent Energy before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Intelligent Energy ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Intelligent Energy

In research: Intelligent Energy appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Intelligent Energy in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Intelligent Energy is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electric power companies of England, Energy, Fuel cell manufacturers, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Intelligent Energy outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Intelligent Energy in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Intelligent Energy means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Intelligent Energy out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Intelligent Energy in simple terms?

Why does Intelligent Energy matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Intelligent Energy?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Intelligent Energy.