Haydale has announced that it will be a key contributor to Viritech's development of fuel cell hydrogen electric vehicles (FCHEVs).
Viritech, a developer of high-performance hydrogen powertrain solutions for the automotive industry, has secured a major role in Ford Motor Company's three-year hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit trial and Haydale will lead the development of new functionalized materials and resins for Type V pressure vessels to support Viritech's proprietary integrated mounting system Graph-Pro™.
Although not yet commercially available, Type V hydrogen pressure vessels offer the prospect of a significant weight reduction by removing the need for an inner liner, which is currently required in composite pressure vessels to act as an impermeable barrier. Haydale's advanced graphene-enhanced carbon fiber material will enable the construction of impermeable pressure vessels.
The FCVGEN2.0 project awarded to Ford will look to design, develop and build a fleet of eight hydrogen fuel cell powered Transit vans. The project is being funded by The Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) with £8m awarded by government, matched by industry to a total of £16.3m.
Keith Broadbent, CEO of Haydale, commented: "Haydale is delighted Viritech is one of the partners in this research project, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to develop new materials for the Type V pressure vessels. The partnership will play a significant role in bringing UK developed and industry-leading storage solutions to the automotive market."
Timothy Lyons, CEO of Viritech commented: "This is a massive opportunity and Viritech is excited to be working with Haydale on this next phase of hydrogen technology development. FCHEVs will play a vital role in decarbonizing commercial vehicles and, as such, a vital contributor to Sustainable Transportation."