[Auto Journal] The story of a hydrogen fuel cell system developer leading the way in an eco-friendly hydrogen society

Our company has been investing in hydrogen electric vehicles since 1998. Even when competitors gave up one by one due to the difficulty of the technology and the high costs involved in development, the company did not stop developing hydrogen electric vehicles and building systems. As a result of these efforts, the company introduced the Tucson ix Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced hydrogen electric vehicle model, in 2013, and launched the Nexo in 2018, establishing itself as a global hydrogen electric vehicle leader. After Nexo successfully established itself in the eco-friendly car market, it further expanded its scope to the commercial vehicle market by launching the Xcient hydrogen electric truck.

Along with hydrogen electric vehicles, which have proven their outstanding marketability around the world, what has attracted attention is the hydrogen fuel cell system that was successfully developed independently. The hydrogen fuel cell system, which demonstrated excellent performance through Nexo, attracted the attention of other manufacturers of eco-friendly vehicles, which led to the export of hydrogen fuel cell systems. However, the process of exporting the fuel cell system was not easy.

This is because issues such as satisfying customer demand and coordinating the system to fit other companies’ vehicles had to be resolved. We met with two developers from the hydrogen fuel cell application development team who achieved the achievement of technology supply beyond simply vehicle supply, and heard about how they overcame these challenges.

Hyundai Motor Group’s hydrogen fuel cell system attracts world attention

Currently, the automobile industry is rapidly changing, focusing on eco-friendly cars. While new car manufacturers with electric vehicles are mushrooming, existing car manufacturers are also racing to introduce new electric cars. This trend of change has led to increased demand for eco-friendly powertrains. Our company discovered a new opportunity in the rapidly increasing flow of eco-friendly vehicles.

Q. What is the demand for hydrogen fuel cell systems in the global automobile market?

<Researcher Suji Kim> To achieve carbon neutrality, various changes are occurring throughout the industry, from energy production to utilization. The transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles is one of these changes. However, it may be difficult for batteries to solve all of the problems of decarbonizing automobiles. Battery technology plays a sufficient role in the field of passenger vehicles that are mainly small and driven for short distances, but in large vehicles that require long distance driving, it is difficult to satisfy the necessary functions with batteries alone, so there are many attempts to incorporate hydrogen fuel cell technology. Due to this market environment, the number of manufacturers selling modularized hydrogen fuel cell systems or commercializing the fuel cell technology itself is rapidly increasing.

Q. What process did you go through to export hydrogen fuel cell technology?

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> Hydrogen fuel cell technology, along with batteries, is considered one of the main power sources of future mobility. Our company continues to research and invest in fuel cell technology and has technology recognized globally. Thanks to our solid technological capabilities, we were able to sell to other mobility manufacturers and companies in need of eco-friendly power technology. However, as we developed our business, we realized that applying our technology to other companies’ vehicles was very different from selling existing finished cars. There were many tasks to solve, such as the problem of coordinating the customer’s operating conditions and standards, etc., different from the specifications tailored to our company. Our team is in charge of solving these problems and adjusting the fuel cell system to suit the customer.

The journey of hydrogen fuel cell system supply as told by a developer

In December 2022, the company signed a contract to supply its independently developed hydrogen fuel cell system to Europe, the home of automobiles. Enginius, a subsidiary of Germany’s FAUN Group, has decided to produce cleaning trucks and medium-sized cargo trucks equipped with the company’s hydrogen fuel cell system. Although we have previously exported Xcient hydrogen electric trucks to Switzerland, this is the first contract to supply systems rather than vehicles. This achievement can be seen as an example of not only pioneering a new market, but also recognition of our fuel cell technology.

Q. What are the characteristics of these two methods: supplying hydrogen electric vehicles to the market and supplying hydrogen fuel cell systems to automobile companies?

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> The export of hydrogen electric vehicles and the supply of hydrogen fuel cell systems have had the effect of accelerating the company’s transition to an eco-friendly society and raising its status in the global automobile industry. However, unlike selling a finished car, supplying a system requires consideration of various factors because usage conditions vary depending on the product. For example, prior to supply, it is necessary to discuss technology with the customer and change the package or software to meet requirements.

Q. What are the characteristics of the hydrogen fuel cell system you supply to your customers?

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> Fuel cell commercialization largely consists of PMC and FDC, and the system can be connected in the configuration above. For reference, PMC (Power Module Complete) refers to a fuel cell system. And the FDC (Fuel Cell DC-DC Converter) supplied with the fuel cell system is a device that transforms the fuel cell voltage. Fuel cells require high voltage to drive the air compressor when starting. At this time, the high voltage is supplied by the battery, and FDC is used to convert the battery power. Additionally, the role of the FDC is to convert the output voltage of the fuel cell system to suit the application operating voltage.

<Researcher Suji Kim> The fuel cell system we supply is STACK1, which carries out chemical reactions and produces electricity, FPS2, which manages hydrogen supply, and APS3, which manages air supply.

, It consists of TMS4, which manages the heat generated by chemical reactions. In addition, there is a junction box that distributes electricity generated from the STACK and stored in the high-voltage battery to the converter and inverter. The scope of supply of fuel cell systems provided to customers includes the above components and FDC. If necessary, we also provide customers with air cleaners and ion filters.

Q. What are the problems that arise when applying hydrogen fuel cell systems to other companies’ vehicles?

<Researcher Suji Kim> Because the hydrogen fuel cell system was developed to meet our vehicle standards, packaging-related problems often arise when applied to other companies’ vehicles. In the process of reviewing the package to supply the system to FAUN, there was a problem that the air cleaner height did not match the existing commercial vehicle specifications and the compressor connector was oriented downward, causing interference. To solve this problem, it was necessary to apply a low-height passenger car-specific air cleaner, and additionally develop a part that changes the direction of the compressor connector to the side. Fortunately, the package configuration and functions were the same as before, so the development period did not increase significantly, and we were able to provide a system suitable for the customer in a timely manner. This system, which was developed with a lower height compared to the existing system, sees the low package height as an advantage and is considering applying it to various businesses, not just FAUN. The project progressed in a reasonable direction that benefited both parties, giving a unique sense of accomplishment.

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> For the FAUN supply project, not only the package but also the communication method was modified. The communication method of the controller used by our vehicles is CAN 2.0B5 (500kbps, extended). ​However, the customer requested J19396 communication method and 250kpbs communication speed. To solve the problem of different communication methods, an intermediate gateway had to be applied and installed. In the future, we plan to develop a system that meets the needs of various customers by improving it to accommodate various communication methods and communication speeds.

Q. How did your experience developing commercial vehicles such as the Xcient hydrogen electric truck help you in your fuel cell external sales business?

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> Fuel cells mounted on commercial vehicles require different conditions from passenger vehicles, such as durability and output, depending on the environment in which they are mainly used. At the time of developing the did. I believe that by accumulating this experience as data, we were able to take the right approach from the start when faced with new requirements from external customers.

Q. How are the management and services provided for overseas vehicles equipped with hydrogen fuel cell systems?

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> Basically, it provides detailed manuals on various fields such as system operation and maintenance. In addition, a fuel cell system-specific diagnostic device (GDS, Global Diagnostic System) is supported to diagnose the fuel cell system and check for abnormalities. In addition, when a customer company operates the supplied fuel cell system for the first time, a hydrogen fuel cell engineer is dispatched to conduct a test run and provide training together with the customer company officials.

The future of hydrogen fuel cell systems envisioned by developers

Q. What are the future possibilities of the hydrogen fuel cell system supply business?​

<Researcher Suji Kim> The current international trend of national energy policies focusing on carbon neutrality will continue, and if the modularity of hydrogen fuel cell systems is steadily promoted within this trend, I believe the growth potential is endless. The hydrogen fuel cell system has high value as it can be expanded not only to commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks, but also to new industrial fields such as trams, ships, and aviation.

<Chief Researcher Lee Joong-jae> I believe that supplying hydrogen fuel cell systems has a bright future from a business perspective. Requests for system supply from companies producing eco-friendly mobility are gradually increasing, and our hydrogen fuel cell system has excellent technology to satisfy them. This contract with FAUN is the first case of hydrogen fuel cell system sales achieved in recognition of technological prowess. Starting with this contract, we expect to be able to collaborate with many other companies in the future.

The export of this hydrogen fuel cell system is a meaningful first step toward advancing a hydrogen society. Hydrogen fuel cell developers are working day and night to provide the heart of eco-friendly mobility, which is increasing worldwide. Until their efforts lead to even more brilliant results, the development of eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cell technology will continue.​

​

Written by Lee Jung-jae, Kim Su-ji (Hyundai Motor Company)

Source / Auto Journal October 2023 issue