Automotive Engineering - November/December 2021 - 26

" We have a level of flexibility in this market that competitors can't match. "
High on hydrogen
COVER STORY
Clean Mobility group North America engineering boss
Charles Shappell.
progress in this area has helped lower system leakage
levels (both through tanks and related valves and fittings)
in recent years.
Type IV tanks offer lighter weight and very high
strength. They're also far more expensive than the fabricated
steel, aluminum and blow-molded plastic fuel
tanks that are familiar to vehicle engineers.
" Cost, along with safety and recyclability, is an area
that we're working to improve, " March said. " In the
end we're going make it or break it if we're competitive
with this technology. Hydrogen storage in a vehicle
is approximately half the cost of the fuel-cell
propulsion system, so we need to make this technology
affordable for all OEMs. " He cited production
volume and the scale effect as keys to reducing storage-tank
cost. Current volumes are very low. " For
hydrogen-powered city buses, it's about 60 vehicles
per year, and the OEMs are starting with small fleets
for their proof-of-concept validations, " March noted.
" And there's the challenge of how to scale up when
vehicle production volumes increase. "
Faurecia's Generation-1 hydrogen tank range currently
includes small (D200), medium (D300-500)
and large (D600) models, available in 350- and 500bar
specifications. Gen-2 tank development is nearly
completed, according to March. He said Gen-3 tanks
will offer " significantly lower cost. " To that end, engineers
also are focused on increasing the company's
efficiencies in the use and manufacture of carbon fiber.
26 November/December 2021
Faurecia illustration showing hydrogen-tank fitments in a Class-8 semi-tractor.
The company has researched aerospace-industry processes as well
as BMW's holistic enterprise, with materials partner SGL, established
for carbon-fiber production for the 2013 BMW i3.
" We're looking at how to optimize carbon-fiber winding and how
to improve curing times, which are really still slow for higher-volume
automotive applications, " Shappell said. Engineers also are investigating
how to improve tensile strength of " tow, " the yarn used to
weave carbon-fiber fabrics. A 24K tow, the industry's highest tensile
strength, is composed of 24,000 individual carbon filaments.
March describes the rising investment and near-flood of competitors
in the hydrogen fuel cell space as good news for Faurecia.
" People are seeing the market for hydrogen development and that
can only help us to be more competitive and challenge ourselves. "
With the increasing number of players, both suppliers and OEMs,
Faurecia's competitive advantage comes from its auto-industry experience,
global presence, and the expanding capabilities of the Symbio
joint venture.
" We can deliver full system integration - the customer gives us
the requirements and we build the powertrain for them, " March said.
" We also have customers who are interested in just the hydrogen
storage system. And there are customers who are only requesting
hydrogen tanks. We have a level of flexibility in this market that competitors
can't match. "
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
FROM LEFT: LINDSAY BROOKE; FAURECIA
Automotive Engineering - November/December 2021

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