Automotive parts supplier Faurecia (Nanterre / France; www.faurecia.com) intends in future to focus increasingly on the development and production of fuel cells for electric vehicles. The company has acquired access to the technology and process know-how for hydrogen tanks – presumably type 4 – from aircraft supplier Stelia Aerospace (www.stelia-aerospace.com), and now wants to step up its activities in the development and marketing of tanks with carbon fibre-reinforced plastic (CRP) shells for fuel cell electric vehicles.

"We want to become a leading supplier of fuel cell technology," said Faurecia's CEO Patrick Koller, but did not indicate a timeframe for the launch of the first products. "We firmly believe in this alternative drive system, which not only extends the range but also shortens the fuelling process." The company anticipates that by the year 2035, there will be around 5m vehicles on the road with fuel cell technology. The partnership with Stelia supplements Faurecia's investment in pressure valve specialist Ad-Venta (Bourge-de-Péage, Valence / France; www.innovative-gas-engineering.com/en).

After Rehau (Rehau / Germany; www.rehau.de), Faurecia is the second major auto parts supplier and plastics processor to opt for hydrogen tanks. Rehau has been working for several years on the further development and testing of a production process for a type 4 hydrogen tank for the automotive industry – see Plasteurope.com of 23.03.2015.

Stelia Aerospace was formed in 2015 through the forced merger of Aerolia (Méaulte / France) and Sogerma (Rennes / France) by their mutual parent company Airbus. Both firms supply structural and exterior elements as well as interior parts made to a large extent of carbon fibre-reinforced plastics – see Plasteurope.com of 12.01.2015.