Haydale will be a key contributor to Viritech’s development of FCHEVs.
The global technology solutions company will help Viritech, a leading developer of high-performance hydrogen powertrain solutions for the automotive industry, develop fuel cell hydrogen electric vehicles (FCHEVs) for Ford Motor Company, in which Viritech will provide Type V hydrogen pressure vessels.
Viritech secured a key role in Ford’s three-year hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit trial.
Ford Motor Company’s three-year hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit trial – the FCVGEN 2.0 project – is a UK-based project that is testing hydrogen fuel cell technology on the E-Transit in a small UK-based prototype fleet that has been developed by Ford Pro. Ford Pro will design, develop and build a fleet of eight hydrogen fuel cell-powered Transit vans. The goal of the project is to establish if H2 tech can aid in delivering improved zero-emission-driving-range for E-Transit customers with energy-intensive use cases.
For the Ford project, Viritech will develop hydrogen pressure vessels using Graph-Pro, the proprietary integrated mounting system the company has created. Viritech’s propriety system lowers the cost and weight of fitting hydrogen pressure vessels to a vehicle. This is significant as current pressure vessels use external attachments.
Beyond making for a more complex system, external attachments add weight and cost. With Viritech’s Gas-Pro design, the mountings are integrated into the structure of the pressure vessel, allowing for them to be bolted directly to the chassis.
Haydale will support Viritech in its development of its hydrogen pressure vessels.
Haydale will lead the development of new functionalized materials and resins for Type V pressure vessels, which will support Viritech’s Graph-Pro system.
According to a recent Haydale news release , the company’s advanced graphene-enhanced carbon fiber material will allow the construction of impermeable pressure vessels.
Haydale is excited for the collaboration.
“Haydale is delighted Viritech is one of the partners in this research project, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration to develop new materials for the Type V pressure vessels,” said Haydale CEO Keith Broadbent.
“The partnership will play a significant role in bringing UK developed and industry-leading storage solutions to the automotive market,” the CEO added.
