The Defense Innovation Unit has awarded a contract to Oshkosh subsidiary Pratt Miller to build a prototype of its platform under the Expeditionary Hydrogen On Ship and Shore, or EHOSS, project.
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What Is the Goal of the DIU EHOSS Project?
DIU said Tuesday the EHOSS project seeks to generate, store and distribute hydrogen both aboard ship and ashore by leveraging commmercial off-the-shelf components to create a tactical “micro hydrogen supply chain.”
The initiative aims to support the Department of Defense’s strategic priorities to reduce logistical fuel supply vulnerabilities, improve energy dominance and facilitate distributed operations in contested environments.
DIU collaborates with the Naval Research Laboratory, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office, Naval Undersea Warfare Command, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific and the U.S. Army Ground Vehicle Systems Center on the EHOSS project to help extend operational capabilities and improve energy resilience across joint forces.
“Hydrogen fuel cell technologies offer a pathway to reduced logistical risk and greater operational flexibility, especially in environments where conventional fuel delivery is constrained or compromised,” said Andrew Higier, energy portfolio director at DIU.
“EHOSS is a step toward enabling persistent, low-signature operations that can help us untether from larger fuel supply chains and adapt across the maritime and littoral fight,” Higier added.
Containerized Hydrogen Generation Tech Development
Under the contract, Pratt Miller will build a prototype of a containerized hydrogen generation and fueling system that could produce and provide over 20 kilograms of 350 bar, high-purity hydrogen per day.
According to DIU, the EHOSS prototype builds on prior development and deployment of hydrogen platforms. The system prototype will be fully instrumented to gather and measure data, enable real-time predictive maintenance and facilitate remote monitoring.
