With the signing of a cooperative development agreement, Air Liquide and Faurecia will design and manufacture heavy-duty vehicle on-board liquid hydrogen storage systems.
The two companies hope to hasten the adoption of zero-emission heavy-duty mobility by collaborating on cutting-edge technologies. In order to hasten the transition to carbon neutrality, liquid hydrogen storage for fuel cell vehicles plays a critical role. The amount of hydrogen stored using this approach is two times greater than the amount stored using gaseous hydrogen.
As a result, liquid hydrogen-powered heavy duty trucks can go twice as far as gaseous hydrogen-powered vehicles, and they do so with less hassle and a higher payload.
The alliance will make use of the complementary expertise of the two companies from their respective core businesses, which will be critical to speeding up the time to market for the technology. To start, Air Liquide will provide its well-known expertise in the full liquid hydrogen value chain, such as extreme cryogenics, storage technology, a refueling interface, and infrastructure know-how to the project.
When it comes to automotive testing and simulation knowledge, Faurecia has a global automotive industry know-how and footprint, as well as strong ties with vehicle manufacturers. Faurecia will bring all of this to the table.
Benoît Potier, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Air Liquide, declared: “Momentum is building around hydrogen, generating worldwide interest. In this context, players from many different sectors are joining forces to unlock the potential of hydrogen. Our partnership with a world leader such as Faurecia aims to accelerate the development of hydrogen mobility focusing on the heavy-duty market, for which hydrogen is particularly suited. Thanks to its innovation capacity and expertise, Air Liquide is contributing to the development of hydrogen ecosystems on the entire hydrogen value chain. In line with our sustainability objectives, our ambition is to contribute actively to the emergence of a low carbon society.”
Patrick Koller, Chief Executive Officer of Faurecia, added: “This partnership is the first milestone of a great journey with Air Liquide, a best-in-class partner in the field of hydrogen. Teaming up these two complementary hydrogen specialists will enable the development of cutting-edge liquid hydrogen storage technologies for heavy mobility with a rapid time-to-market.”
Fuel cell vehicle production might reach 2.5 million units by 2030, with commercial trucks accounting for 20% of the total. Heavy-duty vehicles could account for up to 60% of mobility industry hydrogen consumption by 2030 as a result of extensive use.
