Automotive Engineering - June 2023 - 27

IN A BOX!
HYDROGEN STORAGE FEATURE
Faurecia rectangular pressure tanks are designed to be packaged in multiple-tank
'cartridges' within the same footprint as a BEV battery pack.
and H2-fueled diesel trucks has accelerated,
due in part to California's recent
ruling to ban sales of new diesel medium-
and heavy-duty trucks starting in
2036. Large fleets also must convert to
hydrogen or electric models by 2042.
Hydrogen fuel cells currently are the
closest alternative to diesel engines for
commercial-vehicle applications, according
to Dan Nicholson, VP of global
electrification at GM and a veteran powertrain
engineer.
Abdel-Baset and Steele argued that
cylindrical tanks supported with a
" ganged " frame construction limit vehicle
range and total onboard energy
capacity. " The [rectangular] tanks put
40 to 50 percent more hydrogen on board in the same
volume, " Abdel-Baset said, " and that equates directly
to 40 to 50 percent more operating range. It really
separates you from the BEV, " he said.
So, what's behind the Faurecia tank design? Is it a castForvia
hydrogen storage
systems chief engineer
Tarek Abdel-Baset.
Beneath the tank's skin: " a lot of open structure "
but with internal scaffold-like bars, he revealed.
" Imagine a building with many columns in it. But instead
of being in compression, they're in tension, " he
explained.
The tank exterior is carbon fiber. Inside, there is a
proprietary nylon liner, similar material to that of a traditional
hydrogen Type 4 tank. The liner material and
fit are engineered to eliminate permeability, keeping
the tiny hydrogen molecules from escaping.
Faurecia has significant intellectual property and
resources invested in the new hydrogen tanks' development.
" We can't talk in detail because we're finalizing
a lot of it, " Abdel-Baset said. " There is a real prototype
in use. We've taken it up to 700 bar. Now we're
working on scaling it and getting it optimized. "
He said the tanks will be part of a " cartridge " system
ing? A fabrication? " That's part of our 'secret sauce,'
Abdel-Baset said with a laugh. " This is still very much an
innovation from the Faurecia R&D team in Bavans, France,
so I can't talk in great detail. But it is real, " he said.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
that includes the entire frame and auxiliaries.
" Potential customers can go with any combination of tanks, from
one all the way to an entire cartridge, " he said. Faurecia customers
who have been shown the cartridge configuration with the rectangular
tanks have praised the design's package efficiency and mass reduction
compared with a cylindrical-tank setup, Abdel-Baset added.
Faurecia engineers also are engaged with various parallel innovation
activities related to the hydrogen tank technology, including carbon-fiber
cost-reduction projects.
June 2023 27
BOTH IMAGES: FAURECIA
Automotive Engineering - June 2023

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