New plant in Japan for production of high-pressure hydrogen tanks for fuel cell vehicles

Japanese Tier 1 parts maker Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has established a new plant in the city of Inabe, Mie Prefecture, Japan to produce high-pressure hydrogen tanks, a crucial component of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs). Preparations for the start of production are currently underway.

Production capacity at the new plant for these tanks will be built up gradually to meet growth in demand with the expected increase in number of FCV models as these vehicles come into wider use.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stated the country’s intent to have 40,000 FCVs on the roads by 2020 and building up refuelling infrastructure will be key to achieving this target. The country plans to relax tough regulations governing the operation of hydrogen refuelling stations with the intent of increasing their number from about 80 in 2016 to 160 by 2020 and 900 by 2030. Each refuelling station will need to service about 900 vehicles a year to remain profitable and the target is to reach that level by 2030, which would correspond to a fuel cell vehicle fleet of 810,000 vehicles.

Toyoda Gosei’s high-pressure hydrogen tanks feature a hybrid design, with a patented TG Liner barrier liner preventing hydrogen leakage and a carbon fiber-epoxy composite outer incorporating alternating hoop, in-plane and helical windings.