HYDROGEN STORAGE IN A BOX!

Cylindrical tanks no longer are the only solution for storing high-pressure hydrogen gas. The future is looking decidedly square - and better for vehicle range and packaging. Experts from Forvia explain.

Until recently, there was only one practical solution for storing gaseous hydrogen for onboard vehicle use: the cylindrical storage tank. Spiral-wound, carbon fiber cylinders are the proven form factor for reliable containment of 350-bar (5000-psi) and more commonly, 700-bar (10,000-psi) hydrogen used in the latest fuel-cell electric and hydrogen-fueled IC-engine vehicles. Faurecia and Symbio, the hydrogen-technologies joint-venture with partner Michelin, are in the process of changing the cylindrical-tank paradigm with a new approach that looks downright…square.

“This hydrogen storage system is our modular, conformable, 700-bar tank,” Rob Steele, product line manager at Faurecia, part of the Forvia group, told SAE Media while viewing a concept ‘skateboard’ chassis at the 2023 Innovation Day at the company's suburban Detroit tech center. At first glance, the display chassis appeared to be a pack of battery modules. Then the concept struck.