Petra Power targets data centers and defense vehicles with solid oxide fuel cells

Petra's fuel cells are designed to strip electrons directly from fuel, producing electricity in one step, Goodman said. He contrasted that with combustion, which he described as turning fuel into explosions, heat, motion, an electromotive force and eventually electricity, with losses at each stage. "What fuel cells do is they take the electrons directly off of the fuel, so they strip the fuel of its electrons, which creates electricity," he told TechCrunch. "It's one step, no loss, and subsequently, in theory, at least, they're much, much more efficient." Goodman said customers that run off fuel cells stand to save a significant amount on fuel costs, while also reducing emissions and using less physical space because the cells are more compact and lightweight.

Petra is targeting two customer groups. The first is data centers. Goodman said the company is working with neoclouds and other infrastructure providers that are a few steps down from the hyperscaler crowd. The target for first deployment with those customers is 2028, with full-scale production for the company hopefully set for 2029, he said. Hyperscalers remain an ideal customer profile for Petra, and the company talks to them often, but it has nothing firm with them yet, Goodman said. "Obviously, they're the largest consumers of power," he told TechCrunch. "They're the ones that we can make the biggest impact with, so that's where we'd like to go."

The second customer is the government. Petra aims to provide auxiliary power for land vehicles, meaning electricity for onboard equipment when the main engine is off. Goodman clarified that the product has not actually deployed on a live vehicle yet. The fuel cells are in the testing phase, during which the government is deciding whether to move forward, he said.

Petra has a team of about 15 people and is growing, Goodman said. The company has received nearly $9 million in contracts from the Defense Department, and it hopes to scale that work significantly in the coming years, he said. Petra Power was selected for this year's TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200, a group of 200 startups chosen for the program, which is being held in downtown San Francisco at Moscone West.

Editor's Summary

Petra Power is developing solid oxide fuel cells for data centers and defense vehicles, claiming lower fuel costs and emissions than combustion-based power. The startup has nearly $9 million in Defense Department contracts but has not deployed its product on a live vehicle, and it targets first deployment with data-center customers in 2028. It was selected for TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200.