Scaling up hydrogen mobility

A pioneer in fuel cell stacks and hydrogen storage solutions for mobility, distribution, transport, and stationary applications, Faurecia is at the heart of a range of projects and partnerships accelerating hydrogen mobility on a global scale.

Best-in-class hydrogen storage solutions for mobility

Hyvia, a joint venture between Renault Group and Plug Power, selected Faurecia to provide hydrogen storage systems for its next generation of Renault Master H2-Tech vans. Leveraging on its strong experience as a tier 1 automotive supplier, Faurecia brings its expertise in gaseous hydrogen storage systems for light commercial vehicles, and in manufacturing high quality automotive parts for mass-production, to provide the best combination of payload, available space and autonomy. The serial production of the tanks and complete hydrogen storage systems will take place in our plant in Allenjoie, France. Faurecia’s hydrogen storage systems have been on the road on both light and heavy-duty applications since 2021, for example with the Hyundai XCient truck.

Containerized solutions for hydrogen transportation

The Zero Emission Valley project, backed by a consortium of public and private investors, intends to deploy 1,200 fuel cell vehicles and 20 hydrogen stations in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France before the end of 2024. The goals of this project are to make this region a pioneer in hydrogen mobility and one of the first carbon-neutral territories in Europe, as well as to test profitable models for hydrogen mobility that can be replicated across the EU. To enable this project, Faurecia’s ambition is to provide large, lightweight hydrogen storage containers that will allow reliable and safe transportation of hydrogen in the Zero Emission Valley.

Expanding our industrial footprint

In 2022, following the successful creation of an assembly line in Korea, Faurecia launched in Shanghai a new assembly line for complete hydrogen storage systems, enhancing its product offer for the Chinese market. In Europe, Faurecia will manufacture tanks and complete storage systems at its Allenjoie plant in France. Allenjoie, a model plant in terms of sustainability, is the second Faurecia site in Europe to receive the “BREEAM Excellent” certification for its environmental performance. The production of hydrogen tanks and storage systems in Allenjoie starts in 2023, with a ramp-up plan to reach a capacity of 100,000 tanks per year.

Growing Europe’s hydrogen ecosystem

The European Union and French government are investing massively in their hydrogen technology and industrial capability through €2.1 billion attributed to 10 key hydrogen projects of Common European Interest. Two projects within FORVIA Group have been selected. Faurecia’s “Historhy Next” project will receive €213 million to support two new generations of carbon fiber gaseous hydrogen tanks, as well as for liquid hydrogen storage. The project will include accelerating development of more sustainable tanks focusing on the use of low-carbon materials and recyclability. Symbio, a Faurecia and Michelin hydrogen company and leader in fuel cell technologies, has also received substantial EU and French funding to scale-up industrial production of fuel cell stacks at a gigafactory in France.

Innovating for mobility

As one of the industry pioneers of hydrogen storage systems, Faurecia develops next-generation hydrogen storage solutions that allow automotive manufacturers to offer fuel cell electric vehicles with great autonomy. Our engineers are developing an innovative prismatic high-pressure tank that offers up to 50% more storage capacity and therefore greater autonomy compared to cylindrical tanks. A first preview of the concept was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2023. In parallel, since 2021, Faurecia has been partnering with French industrial gas supplier Air Liquide to develop onboard liquid hydrogen tanks for heavy-duty mobility. These will provide higher autonomy to long haul trucks and other vehicles operated for intensive uses.