Hydrogen energy industry is a huge industrial chain from hydrogen production, storage and transportation, to application. From downstream applications, currently, fuel cell vehicles (FCV) are the hottest application. Oct 2016, SAE-China released <Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Technology Roadmap>, pointing out that by 2030, China FCV will reach millions and hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) will exceed 1000. Meanwhile, SAE-China estimated that, by 2030, China FCV industry output value is expected to break trillions CNY. Besides, China national and local governments one after another release many policies and planning to support development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell. ASIACHEM believes that, China hydrogen energy and fuel cell industry development will further acceleration.
Take Hubei Wuhan as an example, ASIACHEM research indicates that, hydrogen energy and fuel cell government planning and enterprises layouts of this place are as follows:
Government Planning
Jan 2018, Wuhan Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Planning Suggestions General Planning Expert Consultation was held in Hubei Wuhan Development Zone.
Planning shows that, from 2018 to 2020, Wuhan will set Wuhan Development Zone as core, to construct world level capital of FCV. In terms of R&D, realize hydrogen production / storage, MEA, stacks, system integration and control etc. core technologies reaching international advanced level. In terms of hydrogen production / storage infrastructure, research suitable long-distance and large-scale hydrogen storage and transportation technologies, forming hydrogen production, storage and transportation demonstration application, and construct China leading hydrogen energy industrial park, gathering more than 100 FCV industrial chain related enterprises and FCV whole industrial chain annual output value exceeds CNY 10bn. In terms of infrastructure & demonstration popularization, construction 5-20 HRS, and form small-scale hydrogen energy fuel cell demonstration application on ships, UAV and distributed power generations, fuel cell buses, scheduled buses and logistics vehicles etc. demonstration operation scales reach 2000-3000.
By 2025, Wuhan will generate 3-5 international leading hydrogen energy enterprises, construction 30-100 HRS, forming perfect hydrogen refueling supported infrastructures, realizing a total of 10k-30k operation passenger-used vehicles, buses, logistics vehicles and other special-used vehicles, hydrogen energy fuel cell whole industrial chains annual output value strives to break CNY 100bn.
Mar 2018, <Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (Hannan) HRS Check and Approval and Regulations> released. This <Regulations> cleared HRS project site selection, project application, implementation and operation whole processes’ check and approval and management flows and related supervision departments. It is China first HRS check and approval and supervision local regulations.
Enterprises Layouts
PetroChina
Sep 2018, Hubei Wuhan first HRS construction in Wuhan Donghu High-tech Zone. Information shows that, this HRS hydrogen refueling capacity is 300kg/d, construction by Wuhan Zhongji Hydrogen Energy Development, and core equipment are co-R&D and manufactured by Zhongji Hydrogen Energy and PetroChina Hubei Branch and Chengdu Huaqi Houpu Holding.
Wuhan HydraV Fuel Cell Tech. Co. Ltd.
Jan 2019, Shenzhen Center Power stated that, the company Wuhan Project would have 20 fuel cell buses loaded power systems provided by Wuhan HydraV operation in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone in Jan 2019.
Aug 2018, Shenzhen Center Power released announcement, the company signed agreements with Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone, to invest CNY 3.9bn to construct Wuhan HydraV Industrial Park Project, mainly engaging in R&D, production and sales of fuel cell MEA, stacks and engines etc. products. Project would construction by 2 phases, Phase-1 planned to operation in 2019 while Phase-2 planned to operation in 2021. After Phase-2 construction, project would fully reach designed capacity in 6 years. After reaching designed capacity, it would annual produce 500k m2 MEA, 100k sets fuel cell engines and 100k sets fuel cell stacks.
Jul 2018, Wuhan HydraV Industrial Park fuel cell engines Phase-1 workshop started construction. Information shows that, this project capacity planning is 10k sets.
Dec 2018, ASIACHEM visited Wuhan HydraV. It is understood that:
As the only company in China owning a domestic integrated industrial chain of hydrogen fuel cell, Wuhan HydraV fuel cell industry has 5 characteristics as below: 1) Global industrialization hydrogen energy industry: In industrial chain, especially each core link, realizes China smart manufacturing; 2) Most complete industrial chain: Plan to completely distributing all key links of hydrogen energy and fuel cell, and has become the enterprise which has most complete hydrogen energy and fuel cell industrial chain; 3) Outstanding safety: In key hydrogen production and hydrogen storage field, Wuhan HydraV and its partners master unique aluminum to hydrogen etc. safety, environmental protection and low cost core technologies, provide safety guarantee to users; 4) Solid commercial mode: parts, products, system integration, financing and leasing, echelon use etc. links realize linkage and form solid commercial development mode: 5) Abundant capital: Strong capital strength, abundant financing channel and provide development of hydrogen energy and fuel cell with strong rear services power.
In specific, Wuhan HydraV independent R&D fuel cell engines rank leading level in China on volume specific power and mass specific power and comprehensive performance is second to none in China; stack products cover graphite plate, composite plate and metal plate and rated power covers 18kW-100kW, comprehensive performance ranks Top in China; meanwhile, the company also is one of the largest MEA R&D and manufacture enterprise in the world, China the largest, and the only MEA enterprise which accumulated output reaches million pieces.
In terms of construction of hydrogen refueling station, currently, Wuhan Hannan Hydrogen Refueling Station has completion and estimates to put into use in recent days, this station is Wuhan first fixed hydrogen refueling station and size is 1000kg/a, it is one of the largest hydrogen refueling stations in China, and Zhihuicheng Hydrogen Refueling Station has finished public land leasing. Datong Guanlan Huafu Hydrogen Refueling Station and Park Hydrogen Refueling Station are synchronous constructing and estimate to put into use in recent days.
Wuhan WUT HyPower Technology Co. Ltd.
Jan 2019, Wuhan WUT HyPower Technology opened for businesses and operation.
Wuhan HUT HyPower was founded in Mar 2018, which is joint set-up by Shenzhen Center Power and Wuhan University of Technology, relays Wuhan WUT New Energy Co. Ltd. and focusing on industrialization and R&D of MEA, core part of fuel cell. Currently, 6000m2 clean workshop decoration has completed, and construction higher automation degreed MEA production line, MEA capacity reaches 20k m2/a and ultimate designed capacity will reach 100k m2/a.
Dec 2018, ASIACHEM visited Wuhan WUT New Energy. It is understood that:
Products of the Company mainly base on 2nd generation MEA manufacture technology – CCM technology. Besides, it also has characteristics as below: 1) High power density: as high as 1.4W/cm2; 2) Low cost: Pt loaded can be as low as 0.3mg/cm2; 3) Long life, low reduction: Using in back-up power can be as long as 18k hours; 4) Each parameter of the products can be customized according to clients’ requests. Currently, Wuhan University of Technology is now doing basic research of 3rd generation ordered MEA.
Products of the Company mainly include AC-MEA, EV-MEA, WE-MEA and SN-MEA. From sales amount, AC-MEA proportion is the largest, then comes to EV-MEA. Products of the Company get through a series of quality system certification (e.g. ISO9001), production flows also have more than 30 quality control spots.
The Company always pays attention to expand international markets. DuPont statistics in 2009 showed that, the Company was one of 6 major MEA suppliers in the world. Currently, the Company has more than 100 clients in the world, distributing in 10 countries and areas including the US, Germany, South Korea and Russia and total sales has reached 1M pieces. In terms of years, the company sales amount YOY doubled in 2017, and estimates to be five times more in 2018.
Wuhan Tiger Fuel Cell Vehicle Co. Ltd.
Information shows in Jan 2019, Wuhan Tiger hydrogen energy powered engines assembly line Phase-1 is under construction, and estimates to operation before Apr 2019. Under ensuring process and quality consistency, it can realize single shift 1000 sets/a capacity.
Before, in Sep 2016, Wuhan IGE (holding mother company of the company) led and R&D world first organic liquid hydrogen storage scientific research project sample vehicle ‘Tiger’ offed assembly line; Dec 2017, Tiger fuel cell engines and ‘Skywell · Tiger’ hydrogen energy bus mass production vehicle type offed assembly line.
Jul 2018, PowerCell Sweden AB stated that, it would provide Wuhan Tiger with additional 16 PowerCell S2 fuel cell stacks in Q3, 2018.
Wuhan Hynertech Co. Ltd.
Jan 2019, Yancon and Wuhan Hynertech signed cooperation framework agreement, both parties will launch deep cooperation on hydrogen energy industry.
LI Wei, GM of Yancon hoped by cooperation of both parties, give full play to each party’s advantages and industry characteristics, megamerger, resources sharing, advantages complementation, lengthening industrial chain and optimizing industry structure, forming coal deep processing, low emission, high added-value and clean converted green economical industrial chain, and strives to get advantages on a new round of energy revolution and industry adjustment.
Mar 2018, Wuhan Engineering and Wuhan Hynertech held <Hydrogen Energy Field Technology Development Cooperation Agreement> signing ceremony.
In the coming cooperation, both parties would deep research on industrialization of hydrogen oil hydrogenation / dehydrogenation equipment, R&D supported technologies and equipment manufacturing, realize hydrogen normal pressure, normal pressure, high density, low cost and large-scale storage and transportation in hydrogen oil, and breaks hydrogen technology bottleneck on large-scale safety and stables transportation.
Wuhan Himalaya Optoelectronics Technology Co. Ltd.
In 2018, technical teams of Tsinghua University and Wuhan Himalaya Optoelectronics conquered hydrogen fuel cell catalyst mass production technology, broke the monopoly of abroad technologies and passed authoritative detection of 3rd parties, part of technology indexes have exceeded imported products and makes good achievements on catalyst; besides, technical teams did localization practice on hydrogen fuel cell key core materials and parts. In 2018, based on vehicle used fuel cell research institute, Wuhan Himalaya Optoelectronics have finished trial production technologies of the hydrogen fuel cell related materials and stacks and mastered core technologies in stacks production, realized sales from key materials to stacks products and engine systems, stood at the front of hydrogen fuel cell technology fields.
In specific, the company has finished R&D and technology preparation of fuel cell used catalyst, MEA and mold pressing bipolar plate etc. materials and successfully develops 3rd generation fuel cell stack modules which power varies from 1kW to 100kW and realizes localization of fuel cell key materials and parts. In May 2017, the company has construction 1000 sets/a (36kW/set) fuel cell stacks production line and estimates that, by the end of 2019, with construction of new production line, more professional and automatic fuel cell production line will construction and operation and annual capacity will reach 12000 sets/a (36kW/set). Meanwhile, the company actively develop and expand terminal application scopes of fuel cell stacks and successfully developed 30kW and 60kW vehicle used fuel cell engines. Among, 60kW hydrogen fuel cell engine system, which developed by Wuhan Himalaya Optoelectronics and has complete independent property rights, has successfully applied to city buses and demonstration operation has reached 18681 hours. Application range and market prospect are very wide.
Main products of the company are: 1) Catalyst; 2) ‘Heat Setting’ MEA; 3) Mold Pressing Composite Bipolar Plate; 4) Fuel Cell Stacks; 5) Mobile Power Station; 6) Stationary Power Station; 7) Fuel Cell Engines.
Dongfeng Motor Corporation
Dec 2018, Dongfeng Motor Technology Center and Wuhan University of Technology held technology cooperation framework agreement signing ceremony. According to the agreement, both parties will further deep cooperation, co-R&D fuel cell core technologies. Meanwhile, both parties would launch further cooperation on talents cultivation.
Jan 2018, MOST released <National Key R&D Plan ‘NEV’ Key Projects 2018 Planned to Set-up Projects Publicity>. Among, <Full Power Fuel Cell Passenger-used Vehicle Power System Platform and Vehicle Development>, undertaken by Dongfeng Motor Corp., was selected.
This project is led by Dongfeng Motor Technology Center, and FAW, Tongji University etc. related units are subproject undertaken units. China 12 universities, high-tech enterprises and detection centers which have abundant experiences on fuel cell whole vehicles and power systems R&D would be cooperation units. The Project man in charge is Dr. SHI Jianpeng, execution period is 3 years, will obtain CNY 52.36M national finance support, mainly targets at FCV technology difficult point breakthrough, plans to break whole vehicle energy system optimal design, power system and whole vehicle integration and integrated intelligent control, brand new FCV chassis forward design, 70MPa high-pressure hydrogen supply system and hydrogen – electricity safety design and overall working conditions rapid response dynamic test platform development etc. 5 core technologies.
Wuhan Skywell Automobile
Dec 2018, China Government Purchase Website publicity information shows that, Wuhan Skywell won Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone 21 fuel cell buses purchase contract, project total amount is CNY 23.4M.
China Shipbuilding Industry Group Power Co. Ltd.
Jun 2018, China Shipbuilding Industry Group Power stated that, currently, Wuhan Changhai Electricity Propulsion and Chemical Power Supply, wholly owned subsidiary of the company, as industry platform, has undertaken many national level fuel cell key scientific research projects with China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation No.712 Institute. Currently, Changhai Company is preparing to construct hydrogen fuel cell industry base, after construction, it will form capacity on vehicle used fuel cell engines and hydrogen storage organic liquid etc. products, strengthening layouts on key links of hydrogen energy industrial chain.
Wuhan Troowin Power System Technology Co. Ltd.
May 2018, Wuhan Troowin 35kW and 41kW vehicle used power system passed performance and high / low temperature storage compulsive verify of National Passenger Car Quality Supervision and Inspection Center.
Oct 2017, Wuhan Troowin Fuel Cell R&D and Production Base Project started construction. Project investment is CNY 200M, after construction, it is estimated to produce 2000 sets/a UAV fuel cell power systems; 10k sets/a buses fuel cell power systems
