Hydrogen energy industry is a huge industrial chain from hydrogen production to storage and transportation to application. In hydrogen energy downstream application field, most acknowledged now is hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV). Industry generally believes that, there is a complementary relationship between FCV and blade electric vehicle (BEV) and FCV has more advantages in commercial used vehicles, especially those long-distance transportation applications.
Vehicle used fuel cell systems mainly include fuel cell stack, air supply system, hydrogen storage and hydrogen circulation device and DC/DC converter etc., and which occupies more than 50% of fuel cell whole vehicle cost. Fuel cell stacks mainly consist of monocells by a way of stacking, and monocells include bipolar plate, membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and seal ring. MEA includes proton exchange membrane (PEM), catalyst and gas diffusion layer (GDL).
Hydrogen Council report released in Nov 2017 shows that, hydrogen energy would occupy about 20% of total energy consumption of the world in 2050, reducing 6Gt CO2 emission every year and hydrogen energy industrial chain annual output would reach USD 2.5tr.
<Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap>, which was released by SAE-China, pointed out that, by 2030, number of China hydrogen refueling stations would exceed 1000 and number of FCV would exceed 1M. ASIACHEM believes that, China hydrogen production and storage & transportation, fuel cell and FCV will form an industrial chain of trillions RMB scale, and provide projectors, engineering companies and design units, technology and device providers in the industry with huge market opportunities.
ASIACHEM <China Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Annual Report 2018> research indicates that, China fuel cell stacks technology and market development conditions in 2018 are as shown below:
Fuel Cell Stacks
Sunrise Power
Oct 2018, under support of national key R&D plan ‘New Energy Vehicle’ key project, Sunrise Power makes great progresses on high power density fuel cell stacks technology development.
The project team targeted at whole vehicle development to high performance large power fuel cell stacks’ requirement, based on fuel cell stacks technology which has independent intellectual property rights and after commercialized application verification, by structure and process simulation, guided and improved stacks and their key parts’ designing and manufacturing level, completed the development of Type-I stack functional prototype and stack power density exceeded 2.0kW/L, can be storage in -30℃ and start-up in -20℃, and did durability check which equals to 50k km car working condition, durability and reliability verification of these stacks are still ongoing currently, and this stack is estimated to realize commercial application in 2018. Meanwhile, development of Type-II stack, which aims at higher power density (3.1kW/L) also made breakthrough, electrode platinum usage has greatly decreased to 0.33g/kW, electrode power density has exceeded 1W/cm2 without external humidification, according to the plan, this stack will realize commercial application in 2021.
Innoreagen Hydrogen Energy
Aug 2018, Datong Innoreagen Hydrogen Energy, wholly owned subsidiary of Innoreagen Hydrogen Energy Technology, signed investment cooperation agreement with Shanxi Datong City Government. According to the agreement, Datong Innoreagen planned to invest and construct hydrogen energy and fuel cell production base project. The project total investment was CNY 800M, constructing 10000 sets/a fuel cell stacks.
Shenzhen Center Power
Mar 2018, Center Power Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industrial Park Project started construction in Hubei Wuhan.
Project total investment was CNY 11.5bn, among, Phase-1 to invest CNY 1.2bn. The project would engage in development, production, operation and sales of catalyst, PEM, stack, cell controlling system, hydrogen fuel engine system, hydrogen storage system and hydrogen preparation system of fuel cell, and construction of hydrogen refueling stations, and cooperate and produce hydrogen fuel cell coaches with Nanjing Golden Dragon and Dongfeng Special Vehicles etc.
MEA
Hongji Chuangneng
Oct 2018, Hongji Chuangneng PEMFC used high-performance MEA project started construction.
Before, in Feb 2018, Guangdong Guangzhou Huangpu District Government, Guangdong Development Zone Administrative Committee and Hongji Chuangneng Technology signed strategic cooperation framework agreement. According to the agreement, both parties would invest and construct hydrogen fuel cell MEA industrialization project.
The project total investment is about CNY 800M, capacity planning to be 100k m2/a and products’ power density reaches 1.2W/m2, strives to trial production at the end of 2018, realizes 100k m2/a MEA in 2019 and realize large-scale industrialization in 2020.
Kunshan Sunlaite
Sep 2018, performances of MEA of Kunshan Sunlaite soaring to a greater high. Vehicle used water-cooled MEA monocell polarization curve performances exceeded 1.0W/cm2 @ 0.65V; prepared water-cooled stack life testing time reached more than 6000h.
Catalyst
Wuhan Himalaya
Apr 2018, fuel cell Pt/C catalyst mass production technology, which is independently R&D by Wuhan Himalaya, made breakthroughs. Information shows that, the catalyst uses catalyst preparation technology of Tsinghua University. Technical breakthroughs include:
1. Using continuous synthesis process, realizes product high consistency and each index can be controlled within ±1%;
2. Capacity reaches scale of 1200g/d, has industrialization production and marketing required each condition;
3. Using optimized carrier treatment process, carrier cycle life reaches more than 5 times of international commercial used catalyst of same kind, and extremely increase catalyst using life under vehicle used working condition;
4. Catalyst comprehensive performance (polarization, electrochemical active area and mass specific activity) reaches or exceeds international commercial used catalyst of same kind;
5. Serial catalyst products passed examine of Tsinghua University Analysis Center and EU CE authentication, each performance index meets designed requirement;
Mass production Pt/C catalyst mainly includes 40wt%, 50wt%, 60wt% and 70wt% specs and has advantages of high activity, high stability and low cost.
PEM
Dongyue Group
Sep 2018, Dongyue Group 1.5Mm2/a fuel cell membrane and supported chemicals industrialization project signed Shandong Zibo.
Fuel Cell and Fuel Cell System
Weichai Power
Nov 2018, Canada local time, Weichai Power (Hong Kong) International Development, wholly owned subsidiary of Weichai Power Co., purchasing 19.9% share of Ballard Power, completed business transaction.
After equity cooperation, both parties enter substantive business cooperation stage, strategic focusing on Chinese market, developing next generation hydrogen fuel cell product, rapid realizing related leading technologies commercialization and engineering settle in China. The specifications include:
1) Co-set-up Joint Venture Company:
Both parties will joint contribute CNY 1.1bn to set-up joint venture company, Weichai Power holds 51% share, Ballard holds 49% share. Joint venture company will own Ballard next generation PEMFC stacks and modules products in China coaches, commercial used trucks and folk trucks markets’ exclusive rights.
2) Joint Development and Product Purchase:
Joint venture company will pay Ballard USD 90M, joint develop next generation PEMFC stacks and modules. Joint venture company will have above technologies in China coaches, trucks and folk trucks’ exclusive rights, Ballard will have above technologies in China’s offshore market’s exclusive rights. Meanwhile, both parties have reached agreements on cooperation framework of 4.0kW/L stacks technologies and above 4.0kW/L future technologies. Before end of 2021, Weichai plans to cooperate with joint venture company, using Ballard’s technologies providing domestic market with 2000 fuel cell modules. This module is estimated to put on market at the end of 2018.
Center Power Qingxiong
Sep 2018, operation ceremony of Shanxi first fuel cell system production line, which was invested and constructed by Center Power Qingxiong, held in Shanxi Datong.
The project is Center Power Qingxiong Datong Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park Project Phase-1, planning capacity 30k sets/a; the whole project would operation in 2020 and annual capacity would reach 100k sets.
Shen-Li High Tech
Jun 2018, C290-30 fuel cell module, which independently developed by Shanghai Shen-Li High Tech, passed national mandatory test detection, its low / high temperature storage passed China latest standard requirement, and stack power density realizes 2.0kW/L with no humidification.
Cemt
May 2018, Cemt Guangdong Hydrogen Energy Equipment hydrogen fuel cell production project investment agreement signing ceremony was held in Guangdong Foshan Nanhai District.
The project locates in Nanhai District Danzao Town, planned to construct hydrogen fuel cell and powerstrain production base. Project total investment is CNY 3bn, and would be construction by 3 phases, total capacity is 80k sets/a hydrogen fuel cell and Phase-1 project would be operation in 2018.
Sunrise Power
Mar 2018, China first independently R&D exceeding 5000h durability’s fuel cell product completed life test and whole vehicle application verification.
Information shows that, this HYMOD®-300 vehicle used fuel cell stack module was developed by Sunrise Power, using high stability, high performance membrane based catalyst layer MEA design and high reliability compound bipolar plate structure, by life test and whole vehicle application verification, broke vehicle used fuel cell 5000h’s durability. Meanwhile, this product realized stacks low temperature start-up under -10℃ and storage under -40℃.
This stack module has successfully applied to Roewe 750 and SAIC Maxus FCV80.
