From Our First Prototype to the Next Iteration

HydroCharge is a compact, on-site hydrogen refueling station designed to make hydrogen production and usage simple, accessible, and completely independent for smaller-scale applications. We solve a major problem for smaller consumers like laboratories and businesses, who currently face high costs, complex sourcing logistics, and unreliable supply chains when trying to secure hydrogen. HydroCharge is also the perfect go-to solution for situations requiring rapid, temporary deployment of hydrogen production and refueling capabilities.

Our journey began within TalTech’s student organization, TiVo, where we laid the foundation for our very first development project. Today, we have successfully evolved out of the university ecosystem and are moving forward as an independent development team.

I Iteration: Proof of Concept

We have successfully wrapped up our first iteration, resulting in a fully functional prototype capable of producing, compressing, and refueling hydrogen. This stage was an incredible learning experience for us. Because practical product development experience in the hydrogen sector is still quite rare in Estonia, we built our expertise from the ground up—learning through hands-on education, testing, failing, and refining.

The result is a fully integrated system that:

  • Produces hydrogen via electrolysis.

  • Compresses hydrogen to high pressure.

  • Enables rapid refueling.

We successfully validated all the core functions of the system. The completed station operates automatically and is controlled via a simple, user-friendly interface. The system supports refueling up to 350 bar and can reach pressures of up to 500 bar—for example, it can fill a standard G20 Genie cylinder in about 10 minutes. The current production capacity is approximately one kilogram of hydrogen per 24 hours.

I Iteration in development

II Iteration: Moving Towards Certification

In our second iteration, we are taking the leap from a working prototype to a fully certified commercial solution. The first phase highlighted several areas for improvement, and that is exactly where our focus lies now.

Our goal is to refine the existing setup to make it more comprehensive and practical for real-world operations, focusing heavily on three key pillars:

  • Modular Architecture: The system is built out of independent modules that can be added or removed based on your specific needs. This allows us to tailor the solution to different use cases without redesigning the entire system from scratch.

  • Easy Scalability: You can easily start with a smaller setup and scale up production and refueling capacity as your demands grow. This flexibility significantly lowers the initial investment costs.

  • User Experience & Reliability: We are making the system as intuitive and straightforward as possible. By reducing manual interventions even further, we minimize operational risks and maximize uptime.

Additionally, we are adapting the design so it can be deployed in diverse environments. The system has to be able to operate safely and reliably both indoors and outdoors, meeting all relevant environmental safety standards.

Safety & Regulations

When working with hydrogen, safety is the absolute, non-negotiable priority. That is why our second iteration has strong focus on aligning the solution with strict industry regulations and standards. We are focused on international standards, risk assessments, ATEX requirements, and preparing the system for formal certification. Our ultimate goal for this phase is a fully certification-ready product. At the same time, it is clear that certification is a time-consuming and costly process, the more detailed schedule will be revealed during the project.

What’s Next?

Development on our next iteration is already underway as we move step-by-step toward a market-ready solution.

HydroCharge is more than just a product development project; it is also a launchpad where bright student minds gain the hands-on expertise and competence needed to drive the future of hydrogen innovation.

If you are interested in collaborating with us or want to test our solution in a real-world environment, we would love to hear from you. Stay tuned to our journey!

This project is funded by the state budget through research and development funding instruments in the amount of €100,000.