30.7.2002
High-Capacity Hydrogen Storage Tank Wins TÜV Certification

In another step towards commercialization of hydrogen-powered vehicles, Opel and GM have received the first certification for its high-capacity hydrogen storage tank used in the HydroGen3 prototype fuel cell vehicle. It is the first 700 bar tank to meet the German pressure vessel code.

Germany's Technical Inspection Association (TÜV = Technischer Überwachungs-Verein) has certified the 700 bar (10,000 psi) high-capacity hydrogen storage tank used in the HydroGen3 prototype fuel cell vehicle developed by Opel and GM. The system has been validated according to EIHP (European Integrated Hydrogen Project). This new development brings the companies another step closer to series production of a hydrogen-powered automobile.

Production of an efficient, lightweight, on-board storage system with enough capacity to make lengthy drives possible is one of the key challenges facing developers working toward commercialization of a hydrogen-based propulsion system. Until now hydrogen storage tanks with a maximum capacity of 350 bar had met the requirements for TÜV certification. At 700 bar, significantly more hydrogen can be stored in the same space taken up by 350 bar tanks, thus enabling the fuel cell vehicles to travel further between refills.

Although competitors have also developed a 700 bar (10,000 psi) pressure storage tank, this new storage vessel installed in the HydroGen3 is the first to be fully TÜV certified according to German Pressure Vessel Codes. For certification, TÜV validates high pressure tanks in accordance with common industry standards such as German "Druckbehälterverordnung", American "NGV2", and European "EIHP", respectively (the latter is currently in preparation and is intended to become law as a European ECE guideline for hydrogen fuelled vehicles). The 700 bar storage system on HydroGen3 is the world's first to be validated according to these standards. One milestone to successfully pass EIHP requirements was the development of Quantum's TriShieldTM tank design.

The TriShieldTM hydrogen storage tank, developed by QUANTUM Technologies Worldwide, Inc., is uniquely designed and manufactured with a one-piece permeation-resistant seamless liner, a high-performance carbon composite over-wrap for strength, and a proprietary, impact-resistant shell. This storage tank is the product of a GM partnership with QUANTUM launched a year ago. At that time, GM awarded QUANTUM multiple contracts to design, develop and validate advanced fuel storage system technologies for a new automotive propulsion system.

Opel and GM consider the fuel cell to be the key technology on the road to sustainable mobility with pollutant-free and climate relevant carbon dioxide emission-free automobiles. GM intends to be the first automaker to sell one million fuel cell vehicles and expects them to be affordable by the year 2010.

GM's work in this area spans some 40 years. The company was the first car manufacturer to demonstrate a drivable fuel cell vehicle in the late 1960s. During the past decade it has invested billions of dollars in advanced vehicle research and development. This program was accelerated in 1997 when GM and Opel set up the Global Alternative Propulsion Center (GAPC) to intensify research and development on various aspects of fuel cell propulsion.

The center's first prototype, the HydroGen1 based on Opel's Zafira compact van, showcased at the Geneva International Auto Show in 2000. The vehicle subsequently set a total of 15 international records for fuel cell vehicles.

The HydroGen3 successor model features an improved propulsion system which makes an optimal configuration of the individual components (packaging) possible. Experts at the GM Fuel Cell Activities center will be completing tests with the new storage system in the coming weeks.
Parallel to the HydroGen1 and HydroGen3 programs, the"AUTOnomy", a fuel cell-powered study developed by GM and Opel, was introduced to the public at the Detroit Motor Show this year. The AUTOnomy is the first automobile to be built from the ground up around the fuel cell propulsion system. One essential element of this new construction philosophy is the implementation of "drive-by-wireV engineering which makes possible the electronic instead of mechanical control of steering, braking and other vehicle functions.