Michelin highlights hydrogen ambitions
Michelin tells us it is striving for a successful future in the development and production of emission-free drive technologies.
The tyre maker states it is now “taking great strides” in driving forward new business areas, with a primary focus on hydrogen as an energy carrier and the associated fuel cell technology.
“Michelin is thus focusing on future fields that go far beyond innovative and sustainable tyre technologies”, the French firm says.
In 2019 the tyre maker invested €140 million in the Symbio joint venture with automotive supplier Faurecia. The project will this year start construction of the largest factory for the production of hydrogen fuel cell systems in Europe in Saint-Fons near Lyon.
It says Symbio’s objective is to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of technology for use in hydrogen-powered vehicles, boats and other means of transport.
Anish K. Taneja, president of Michelin’s Europe North Region comments: “Michelin has been working on hydrogen fuel cell technology for more than 15 years. With our Symbio joint venture, we are currently developing the fourth generation.
“Our goal now is to scale production to reduce manufacturing costs. We are cooperating closely with Faurecia to make our joint subsidiary a leading supplier in this area.”
He adds: “We are proactively acting on the challenges of our time by focusing on holistic solutions that reconcile mobility needs and environmental and climate protection goals.
“Symbio benefits from the outstanding expertise that Michelin and Faurecia bring to the joint venture. The unique range of technologies, products, services and, above all, global infrastructure will enable the company to grow dynamically.”
Michelin says Symbio is currently developing the fourth generation of its fuel cell systems, and as early as 2025 will have a production capacity of over 20,000 fuel cell systems.
The joint venture has already reported initial successes in original equipment: The StackPack system is already used as standard in two hydrogen-powered Renault models. The Kangoo Z.E Hydrogen and the Master Z.E Hydrogen have been rolling off the production line with Symbio components since October 2019.
Symbio is also equipping the PSA Group’s first hydrogen-powered commercial vehicle fleet with its StackPack system. The PSA Group will introduce hydrogen-powered vehicles for business customers later this year.
Michelin tells us that Symbio is working hand in hand with the automotive industry to accelerate the market launches of new models with innovative and efficient hydrogen-powered energy systems.
Elsewhere, Michelin, Faurecia and Symbio are the main sponsors and innovation drivers of ‘MissionH24’.
With this large-scale motorsport project, Symbio is proving that its hydrogen technology can also deliver top performance under the toughest conditions of an endurance race such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Under development is a high-performance fuel cell system for the Le Mans Prototype (LMP), which will be equipped by the Swiss manufacturer GreenGT with a hydrogen-electric powertrain including battery, engine and transmission.
Symbio also aims to enter the race together with the H24 Racing team at Le Mans, among other events. In 2024, racing car prototypes with pure hydrogen drive are to compete in their own class for the first time in the endurance classic.