After 7 Years of R&D Efforts
Lotte Chemical is about to complete the development of an automotive hydrogen tank production technology after seven years of R&D efforts.
According to its recent business report, the technology is for use at 700 bars and 50 liters, and it passed an automaker’s performance tests early this year. The tow prepreg-based innovative technology is to enhance production efficiency during mass production, and it is not a hydrogen tank itself but a technology for hydrogen tank production.
The carbon fiber-based tank is a key component of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The tank should be light for vehicle weight reduction and capable of withstanding high pressure. In a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle, the hydrogen in the tank is sent to its fuel cell stack and its motor is driven by electricity resulting from oxygen-hydrogen bonding.
Lotte Chemical can put the technology to commercial use once it becomes a part of the Global Technical Regulations (GTRs), which is likely this year.