Stellantis wants to become the third shareholder in the Symbio fuel cell joint venture, alongside Faurecia and Michelin. Negotiations to acquire a “substantial stake” are underway. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2023.
Spain’s Ministry of Industry has made public the distribution of state aid for the first call of the eMobility funding programme PERTE. In total, the government is distributing 877.2 million euros to ten funding recipients – almost 300 million euros more than previously planned.
The French automotive supplier Faurecia has been commissioned to supply high-capacity hydrogen storage tanks for the filling stations of HYmpulsion’s Zero Emission Valley (ZEV) project in France, in collaboration with Air Flow, a global rental logistics company.
Schaeffler and Symbio, the joint venture of Faurecia and Michelin, have founded a globally active joint venture for the production of bipolar plates for fuel cells with proton exchange membrane (PEM). Production will be exclusively for the needs of the two shareholders.
Symbio, Faurecia and Michelin have been granted the California Energy Commission Award for hydrogen fuel cell truck development. This gives the partners the chance to develop and demonstrate a hydrogen-fuelled, regional-haul Class 8 truck.
Hyvia, the joint venture set up this year by Renault and fuel cell specialist Plug Power, has unveiled near-production prototypes of the Renault Master H2-Tech and its announced hydrogen filling station. The latter will be available for purchase, lease or rent in the future.
Symbio, the fuel cell joint venture between Faurecia and Michelin established in late 2019, is expanding into the US. The company has announced the formation of Symbio North America and the appointment of Rob Del Core as general manager.
French bus manufacturer Safra and the fuel cell joint venture of Michelin and Faurecia, Symbio, announce plans to produce 1,500 hydrogen buses. Businova, the first French fuel cell bus developed by Safra and equipped by Symbio, is already on the road in several cities.
The Stellantis Group has announced that three electric transporters from Opel, Peugeot and Citroën will also be offered with a fuel cell system this year, which should enable WLTP ranges of over 400 kilometres. Specifically, these are the Opel Vivaro, Peugeot Expert and Citroën Jumpy.
An unofficial fuel cell alliance is forming in France as Faurecia will supply hydrogen tanks for the new fleet of FC commercial vehicles Renault plans to launch at the end of this year. Faurecia will design and manufacture these tanks in France and is already preparing for expansion.
The French supplier Faurecia has acquired a majority stake in CLD, one of the largest manufacturers of high-pressure tanks in China. With this move, the French company is betting on the further growth of the hydrogen market in China.
Faurecia opened its global competence centre for hydrogen storage systems in the French city of Bavans after having invested 25 million euros. The company wants to develop lightweight and cost-effective tanks and systems here to promote hydrogen mobility.
Faurecia has just received a major order from Hyundai for hydrogen storage systems for fuel cell vehicles. The French company will supply the entire system including 10,000 tanks for the 1,600 H2 trucks that Hyundai plans to launch on the Swiss market.
The merger of the fuel cell businesses of Michelin and Faurecia announced in March, has now been completed. The two French companies hold equal shares in the formally established joint venture “Symbio, A Faurecia Michelin Hydrogen Company”.
PSA and Fiat Chrysler have agreed on a merger. However, the details are still open, as the agreement is to be worked out in the coming weeks. It is also open what this means for electric mobility in the new company.
Michelin and Faurecia have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to form a joint venture to combine all of Michelin’s fuel cell activities, including its subsidiary Symbio, with those of Faurecia.
The French government has signed a strategic contract with several French automobile manufacturers and suppliers to help prepare the market for “technological disruptions” such as electrification and autonomous driving.
Future Mobility’s EV brand Byton is now present in the United States, as planned. The Chinese start-up’s new American office is situated in Santa Clara, California. Moreover, the company entered into partnerships with Bosch and Faurencia.
Charging on the go: A team from the University of Tokyo has come up with wireless technology that allows for a charge while driving. It relies on in-wheel motors and charging lanes or on sections of roads embedded with energy transmission coils and first demos have been a success. The same is true for Israeli ElectRoad which embeds copper wire into tar. First passed road tests earned the start-up a 120,000 dollar grant from the government to electrify a strip in Tel Aviv over one and a half mile in length. japantimes.co.jp (Japan), econotimes.com (Israel)
Bio-composite electric car: Lina is a natural and a lovely name for an eco-friendly concept EV by students from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). At the heart of the material is sugar beet and the whole vehicle only weighs 300 kilos, making “her” very efficient. The Netherlands Vehicle Authority sure took a liking to Lina, classifying the idea as roadworthy and for four passengers. Lina will go on tour in the Netherlands following the debut at the Eco Marathon in London later this month. greencarcongress.com, tue.nl
New nanomaterial: A team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) has made a nanomaterial from nanoparticles of a titanium oxide compound and tested it as a cathode in lithium-sulphur batteries. The porous nanomaterial has high storage capacity that remains nearly constant over many charging cycles. helmholtz-berlin.de
Carbon fibre hydrogen tanks: Faurecia is now able to design, produce and commercialise high-pressure hydrogen tanks made of carbon fiber composites for fuel cell electric vehicles. It acquired its know how from Stelia Aerospace Composites. greencarcongress.com
Battery cells made in Germany? Plant manufacturers ThyssenKrupp, M+W and Manz want to join up with cell hosts Litarion, BMZ and Streetscooter to kick off a large-scale serial production of battery cells in Germany. German Tagesspiegel broke the story and further reports that the German Ministry of Science already pledged financial support. tagesspiegel.de (in German)
Reorientation at Faurecia: The automotive supplier is rebranding its business group “Emissions Control Technologies” as “Clean Mobility.” On the agenda are i.e. the development of new technologies for more efficient hybrid drivetrains, as well as innovative solutions for electric vehicles. The focus will be on lightweight solutions including composites and battery thermal management. greencarcongress.com, faurecia.com
Ballard bags new deal: Canadian fuel cell company Ballard Power Systems received an order from the Zhuhai Yinlong Energy Group to equip ten buses with its fuel cell modules FCveloCity-MD 30. The Chinese manufacturer wants to build no less than 35,000 battery-electric buses this year, and will now amend its portfolio to include FCVs. ballard.com
Raining funds: Solar Team Great Britain kicked off a crowdfunding campaign to raise a minimum of 20,000 pounds. The money will be used to finance at least part of the development of a solar-powered vehicle, with which the team will compete in (and hope to win) the World Solar Challenge in Australia in October. businessgreen.com, kickstarter.com
Technology rules: Chinese Techrules unveiled its Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle (TREV) in Geneva. Its hybrid system comprises six motors powered by a battery, which is in turn charged by a micro-turbine fuelled by liquid or gaseous fuel. Specs set peak power at 768 kW and top speed at 350 kph. All-electric range is estimated at 93 miles (150 km), while 80 litres of i.e. aviation kerosene extend range to an estimated 1,243 miles (2,000 km). greencarcongress.com, autocar.co.uk, technologicvehicles.com
Modular electric drive: ZF presents an integrated electric axle motor. The modular approach makes it suitable for rear and front-wheel drives as well as electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles. The asynchronous motor develops up to 150 kW and will be seen in action by 2018. zf.com
Exhaust energy recovery: The Energy Heat Recovery System by Faurecia recovers otherwise lost exhaust energy for the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid. A gas or fluid heat exchanger is integrated in the exhaust line and transfers up to 3 kW of energy that is used to warm the engine and cabin. faurecia.com
Super Truck II: The DoE is launching an 80m dollar funding opportunity. 12m dollars from the Super Truck II initiative are dedicated to plug-in powertrain technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Bosch, Cummin and McLaren are to benefit. greencarcongress.com, energy.gov