Protonas, a US-based firm specialising in low-cost PEM hydrogen fuel cell solutions, intends to set up a manufacturing unit near Chennai in Tamil Nadu. With this fresh infusion of capital, Protonas is set to establish initial manufacturing operations and build prototype systems.

The startup recently raised seed funding from a group of venture funds led by Transition VC, which is India’s first Energy transition-focused VC fund, and aims to enable the prodcution of cost-efficient hydrogen fuel cells for multiple sectors including mobility, energy storage and industrial applications.

The company, which is headquartered in Tennessee, US, has a subsidiary in Chennai. It aims to deploy its solutions to provide cost-efficient backup power applications in the North America and to power fuel cell engines for three-wheeler transportation and four-wheeler delivery applications in India and other Asian locations. Hydrogen fuel cells convert chemical energy from hydrogen into electricity.