Auburn Hills-based automotive equipment supplier Faurecia today announced the acquisition of exclusive access to the intellectual property and process information of composite hydrogen tanks from Stelia Aerospace Composites. With Stelia’s support, Faurecia is now able to design, industrialize, and commercialize high pressure hydrogen tanks made of carbon fiber composites for fuel cell electric vehicles.
Fuel cell technology is a long term electric vehicle solution which offers increased autonomy and faster refueling time compared to battery electric vehicles. By 2035, Faurecia estimates that five million vehicles equipped with fuel cell technology could be in production, and carbon fiber composite is the ideal material for hydrogen tanks, which have to be light while withstanding high pressure.
“Faurecia has the ambition to become a leading supplier of fuel cell technology. We believe in this new energy vehicle alternative which has increased autonomy and rapid refueling time,” says Patrick Koller, Faurecia’s chief executive officer. “In addition, hydrogen can be produced locally using sustainable technology.”
The acquisition complements Faurecia’s recent investment in Ad-Venta, a specialist in pressure valves for safe and efficient hydrogen storage, that created a compact valve which allows pressure management from 700 to 10 bars for delivery to the fuel cell.
Faurecia currently employs more than 100,000 people at 330 sites in 34 countries worldwide.
