Clean energy company First Mode is buying 60 hydrogen fuel cells from Ballard Power Systems, a fuel cell power company based near Vancouver, British Columbia.
First Mode — which moved its headquarters to London earlier this year but still has the majority of its employees in Seattle — is buying the fuel cells as it prepares to retrofit and decarbonize roughly 400 trucks for global mining company Anglo American. A First Mode spokesperson said the company isn't disclosing the financials of the fuel cell purchase from Ballard, which was announced June 1.
"First Mode continues to make industry-leading investments in our suppliers as we scale," the First Mode spokesperson said. "Due to our unique application, First Mode is one of the few companies purchasing at these volumes, something we hope continues to be attractive to our supply chain."
The 60 hydrogen fuel cells are set for delivery next year. First Mode has already ordered 35 modules so far this year.
First Mode, which focuses on clean energy for heavy industry, merged in January with nuGen, the clean energy division of Anglo American. The deal value was $1.5 billion, including a $200 million investment from Anglo American into First Mode. The company kept the First Mode name, but Anglo American took a majority stake in the company as part of the deal.
First Mode relocated to London as part of the merger, but roughly two-thirds of its employees are still based in Seattle. The company has more than 30,000 square feet of office space in Pioneer Square near Lumen Field, and it has roughly another 60,000 square feet in Sodo. The company also has a presence in Perth, Australia.
Chris Voorhees, First Mode's co-founder and chief product and technology officer, was previously the company's CEO. Julian Soles, previously Anglo American's head of technology development, took over as First Mode's CEO after the merger.
Last year, First Mode launched a hydrogen-powered haul truck for Anglo American at a South African mine as a proof of concept. First Mode was founded in 2018 and initially focused on deep space exploration but has also been working with Anglo American for more than four years.
"Mine operations is the first industry that we believe is ready for that transformation," Voorhees previously told the Business Journal. "You have a material transport problem all the way along the supply chain. For us, the natural progression is from mining into rail. Rail into maritime. Those are all huge users of fuel."
