Modine Manufacturing Co (MODI) announced today that it has been awarded a contract with Vehicle Projects, LLC of Denver to supply thermal management hardware for a U.S. Department of Energy vehicle development and demonstration project. The nearly $8.6 million project will develop, manufacture, and demonstrate a mine loader powered by a fuel cell, along with associated metal-hydride storage and refueling hardware.

The group will develop a 23 metric-ton, 160 kW fuel cell-battery hybrid mine loader. In the course of this three-and-a-half year project, Vehicle Projects and its subcontractors, including Modine, will manufacture this fuel cell/battery hybrid mine loader that will eventually be used in various North American mines. The mine loader will be used in tight spaces, up to one thousand feet underground. Fuel Cell technology is appealing in this instance because it is emission-free and environmentally friendly, producing only water. [ more ]