At H2 MEET 2025, VINSSEN unveiled what could be a quiet game-changer in hydrogen fuel cell technology: carbon-fiber bipolar plates for PEM fuel cell stacks.
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While most conventional bipolar plates rely on stainless steel or titanium, heavy, expensive, and requiring protective coatings, VINSSEN’s approach replaces these metals with carbon fibers that are flexible, lightweight, and cheaper.
Sae Hoon Kim explained that their carbon-fiber plates weigh about 25% of stainless steel, maintain the same mechanical performance, and eliminate the need for coating or high-cost molding processes. This breakthrough has immediate applications in maritime fuel cells but could eventually extend to drones, aerospace, and other mobility solutions where weight and flexibility are critical.
VINSSEN is also exploring cost reduction strategies using glass fibers, which could bring material costs down to one-tenth of carbon fiber, without sacrificing stack performance. The company’s first market-ready systems are 100 kW maritime fuel cells, meeting IMO and industry safety standards, with 250 kW systems in development.
The company’s strategy is twofold: deploy the fuel cells in-house for maritime applications while licensing the bipolar plate technology to other stack producers. With material costs at $25/kg for carbon fiber and the potential for significant reductions, VINSSEN positions itself as a cost-focused innovator in an industry where stack cost remains one of the largest barriers to adoption.
