French automotive supplier Plastic Omnium has partnered with hydrogen car manufacturer Hopium to develop a hydrogen storage system for its Machina vehicle series.
The design will be based on almost 40 patents and a range of other in-house developed certified hydrogen storage vessels, a May 12 news release said. The composite high-pressure vessel includes a thermoplastic liner reinforced with a carbon-fiber shell.
"With Hopium, we are convinced of hydrogen's major role in tomorrow's sustainable mobility," Laurent Favre, CEO of Plastic Omnium said in the release. "Plastic Omnium is proud to provide its expertise in hydrogen technologies and help develop the Hopium Machina storage system, an innovative project for low-carbon mobility."
"This partnership with Plastic Omnium shows our desire to collaborate with a key hydrogen mobility player to develop the Machina, a new generation of zero-emission vehicule," Olivier Lombard, chairman and CEO of Hopium added.
The new generation of storage vessels will be integrated into the vehicle chassis to maximize the quantity of hydrogen stored and achieve a target range of 1,000 kilometers.
The vehicle series, expected to be unveiled in June 2021, will be equipped with a 700-bar Type IV* hydrogen vessel made by Plastic Omnium in its Herentals, Belgium plant, which began operation in fall of 2020.
Plastic Omnium did not immediately respond to request for comment by Plastics News.