Johnson Matthey (JM), as a member of the leading European consortium GAIA, has contributed to the achievement of a 1.8 W/cm2 @ 0.6V fuel cell power density.

This is a 20% boost over current technology. This market-leading performance represents a significant advancement for fuel cell technology and JM’s goal of net zero emissions.

JM has been instrumental in achieving this step-change, supplying critical components within the fuel cell stack – the membrane electrode assemblies – in collaboration with BMW, Freudenberg, and 3M, among others (MEAs).

This achievement demonstrates how JM is leveraging its expertise in fuel cell technology to help the world become cleaner and healthier today and in the future. The greater power density will result in a cheaper overall stack cost, which will aid in the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles. This contributes to the decarbonisation of the entire transport sector, as light-duty vehicles such as passenger cars, as well as heavy-duty vehicles such as HGVs and trucks, emit zero emissions.

It demonstrates how JM will assist customers in meeting the EU’s Fit for 55 proposal, which was published on 14 July and commits the EU to halving CO2 emissions by 2030, as well as the UK’s Decarbonising Transport roadmap, which was also published on 14 July and proposes to phase out polluting vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 26 tonnes by 2035.

Jo Godden, Managing Director of Johnson Matthey’s Fuel Cells business, commented:

“Developing a robust fuel cell powertrain solution to decarbonise transportation will be critical to achieving net zero goals around the world. These fuel cell stacks could be powering trucks on our roads in five years’ time and will be the best in class fuel cell technology currently available. JM is proud to play a key role in the GAIA project and leverage our extensive fuel cell experience to benefit all.”