On 6 October 2020, Faurecia inaugurated its Global Center of Expertise for hydrogen storage systems in the presence of the President of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region Marie-Guite Dufay. Located in Bavans, France, and representing a total investment of EUR 25 million, this center of expertise aims to develop lightweight and cost-competitive hydrogen storage systems to accelerate hydrogen mobility.
According to Faurecia, at the center more than 60 engineers and technicians have the ability to:
- Design hydrogen storage systems and produce prototypes tailored to customers’ specifications,
- Test hydrogen storage systems using state-of-the-art equipment for hydraulic, gas, leak and burst tests,
- Develop new tank designs to increase their performance and in particular the volume of hydrogen stored per kg,
- Develop new industrial processes to accelerate production with the prospect of 5 million fuel cell vehicles being produced in 2030,
- Work on innovative materials and smart tanks with embedded IoT sensors to both divide the cost of the systems by four by 2030 and increase their safety, durability and recyclability.
Patrick Koller, Chief Executive Officer of Faurecia, said: “This unique site showcases our commitment to leading the field in zero-emission mobility based on hydrogen. Through innovation, industrialization and scaling, the cost of fuel cell systems will continue to drop dramatically and unlock the potential of this technology for commercial vehicles as well as high-horsepower engines. Hydrogen is a key enabler of the energy transition and will accelerate urgently needed sustainability objectives.”
Faurecia has already started to manufacture hydrogen storage systems for heavy duty trucks and light commercial vehicle fleets for several international OEMs. The company currently has the ability to produce several thousands of hydrogen storage systems per year and aims to ramp up its production capacity.
In addition to the hydrogen storage systems that Faurecia manufactures, the company has created Symbio, a joint venture with Michelin, dedicated to the development and production of fuel cell stacks. Faurecia said its ambition is to become a leader on both fuel cell stacks and hydrogen storage systems in a market that will represent almost EUR 20 billion by 2030.