OEM&Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2018 / OEM&Supplier Edition 2/2018

145 an efficient infrastructure that can be rapidly deployed. In fact, Japan H2-Mobility, a joint venture formed by leading Japanese carmakers, plans to build 80 hydrogen stations by March 2022. Early-adopter countries like Japan, South Korea and Germany, and even regions like Cali- fornia, have committed to developing more than 1,000 hydrogen recharging stations over the next five years. Hydrogen is the most efficient energy storage solution for “green” electricity – it can be a way to store the electricity created by renewable as well as intermittent sources such as solar or wind power for energy providers. For example, the hydrogen produced by 70 m₂ of solar pa- nels can power 20,000 km on the road. It requires much fewer critical materials to pro- duce a fuel cell compared with a battery, while hydrogen is the most available element and quite easy to recycle. Fuel cell technology offers an attractive and complementary alternative to battery tech- nology. The range and refueling time of fuel cell electric vehicles is equivalent to gasoline cars while being completely emissions-free. Trucks and commercial vehicles present a particularly promising use case and will accel- erate the development of this technology. Companies like Pepsi and DHL are already using fuel cell vehicles for their deliveries and I am sure it will become a new standard, par- ticularly for last-mile deliveries in cities that are currently under pressure to reduce air pol- lution. By 2030, it is estimated that at least 2.0 million new vehicles and well over 350,000 trucks will be equipped with fuel cell technology. In this context, Faurecia has decided to invest significant resources – about €15 million per year – in research and development to maxi- mize the potential of this technology for the automotive sector. Last year, the company therefore entered into cooperation with re- search and technology specialists to master the various technical challenges and develop high-performance solutions for the three criti- cal components, which account for 80 percent of the total value added: with STELIA Aero- space Composites on the subject of tanks, with the French start-up company Ad-Venta for a high-pressure valve system for hydrogen supply and with the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) on the subject of fuel cell stacks. These are ex- cellent examples of Faurecia's open innovation approach, which gives us a real competitive advantage. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that Faurecia has recorded a recent success by sig- ning a key contract with a major international OEM to co-develop a high-pressure hydrogen storage system for a large fleet of fuel cell- powered light commercial vehicles, due on the road in early 2021. Hydrogen will be key to the energy system of the future, since it is produced from a multi- tude of sources, and can therefore contribute to countries’ diversification of supply and the integration of renewable energy. In addition, it is a storable energy vector that produces no CO² emissions. All these reasons speak for the fact that fuel cell technology will become a significant sol- ution in our powertrain mix over the coming decade. However, short-term technological im- provements and cost breakthroughs will be necessary for its massive deployment in the automotive industry. Faurecia www.faurecia.com Website Publisher VEK Publishing Owner: Elisabeth Müller-Klock Am Waldfeld 34 C D-65812 Bad Soden Phone +49 611 949164-65 Fax +49 611 949164-7755 info@klock-medienpartner.de www.klock-medienpartner.de Editors Elisabeth Müller-Klock (Publishing Director) Rudolf Müller Clive Davies Proofreading Clive Davies Advertisement Manager Elisabeth Müller-Klock, Phone +49 611 949164-65 Graphic Fotosatzstudio Oliver Bauer www.fotosatzstudio.de Print Metzgerdruck GmbH 74847 Obrigheim Online-Edition Fotosatzstudio Oliver Bauer Online-Presse-Service and Sales Dr. Reinhard Lippmann Cover English Edition For the design of the front cover we used illustrations and photos from Valentin Drull /shutterstock.com, Mikhail Bakunovich /shutterstock.com, Olha Insight /shutterstock.com, AVL, Rhenus Lub, YASKAWA/Ralf Högel and Indumess. 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