Neology, a startup developing a carbon-free energy solution for heavy-duty commercial transportation, has won CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick. With its innovative thermochemical ammonia-cracking device, the startup transforms ammonia into hydrogen for use in fuel cells and power a cleaner, greener future.
There is a growing need for renewable and carbon-free fuel cells, particularly in the transportation industry, which is responsible for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, half of which stems from commercial transportation. Hydrogen is expected to play a central role in the transition to renewable energy in the coming years; however, hydrogen gas comes with challenges of low energy density as well as complex and costly distribution infrastructure which affect the scalability of production and storage solutions.
Based in Lutry (Vaud), Neology is addressing the lack of large-scale, long-lasting, and clean energy solutions, leveraging liquid ammonia as a carbon-free and readily available hydrogen energy carrier. Ammonia’s properties make it an exceptional candidate for use in energy storage: it is carbon-free, has a high volumetric energy density (3.5x times of hydrogen gas), and can be stored in liquid form at low pressure (10 bar) and ambient temperature.
The startup is developing a device, its Ammonia to Hydrogen Generation System (AHGS), which converts ammonia into hydrogen and purifies it to comply with the highest ISO standard. The innovative catalytic chemical process, fluid dynamics design, and advanced energy-management system allow a more efficient production of hydrogen that builds on existing infrastructure for the industrial handling of ammonia, making the solution easy to deploy and scale.
The startup will invest the CHF 150,000 awarded by Venture Kick in further development of its ammonia-cracking and hydrogen-purification technologies, building a vehicle demonstrator, covering costs of IP protection, and expanding its team.
Neology was incorporated in 2023 with a team that includes founder and CEO Aris Maroonian, who holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from EPFL and has more than 15 years of experience in the automotive industry; co-founder Ruben Feldman, a financial engineering expert who brings over 15 years of experience overseeing the integration of sustainability and engagement with a special focus on climate change; Evgeniya Vorobyeva, who holds a PhD in Chemical and Process Engineering from ETH and is in charge of the ammonia-cracking process; and Kevin Turani-i-Belloto, who has a PhD in Hydrogen Storage Technologies and focuses on the development of the catalyst.
“We're honoured to receive recognition from the Venture Kick startup contest and grateful for the tremendous support and trust of the Venture Kick team,” said Aris Maroonian. “Our vision of bringing an affordable carbon-free energy solution to commercial transportation is something we're extremely passionate about, and having a partner like Venture Kick who believes in what we're doing is invaluable. We look forward to continuing our journey together and making a real impact in the world.”
(Press release)
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