Hyundai Motors succeeds in localising key fuel cell part
Korea's Hyundai Motors announced yesterday that it has succeeded in localising the production of a key fuel cell component, which it expects will reduce the overall cost in making fuel cell vehicles. Hyundai has been dependent entirely upon imports for its supply of membrane electrode assembly (MEA), a core component of a fuel cell, however that will now change. &ldquo;We have recently succeeded in developing our own MEA after spending around 10 years in research,&rdquo; a Hyundai Motor official said. The new MEA is reportedly better than the imports in terms of durability and performance, and is 13% cheaper than the imported product. 
By Park Jin-hai



Hyundai Motor has developed a core fuel cell electric vehicle part, accelerating its efforts to develop and commercialize clean cars, the company said Monday.



After a decade of research, the nation's largest carmaker has developed the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which has been imported from overseas manufacturers.



The Hyundai Eco Friendly Vehicle R&D Center in August successfully manufactured the MEA, which can generate electricity by using oxygen and hydrogen. It is an import fuel cell part, equivalent to the engine cylinder of an internal combustion engine.



But, Hyundai has imported all its parts, because only three or four global chemical companies including Japan's Gore and 3M of the U.S. could produce them.



"It is meaningful that we have technological independence. With the new MEA technology, we now have localized all the parts manufacturing technologies required for fuel cell vehicles," said a company spokesman.



Currently, the fuel cell battery costs 40 percent of the overall vehicle price and the MEA is 40 percent of the battery cost.



The Hyundai-developed MEA has a better performance and price competitiveness, compared with its rivals.



It has greater endurance, with four years and up to 80,000 kilometers guaranteed, which is 1.5 times higher than its competitors.



In terms of the cost, the locally produced MEA is known to be 13 percent less expensive.



The Tucson's 100 kilowatt fuel cell battery needs about 400 MEAs.



The Hyundai research center in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, produces MEAs which are sufficient for one fuel cell car every day.



The company is testing a second production facility in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, which is seven times larger than the one in Yongin.



The fuel cell EVs, which have difficulty in attracting customers because of their prohibitive prices, can expect further price cuts in the future.



"MEA related technology can be applied to all other areas where fuel cells are used. In the long term, the technology will make a new industrial ecosystem in the hydrogen energy sector and emerge as a new growth engine," said Kim Sae-hoon, a researcher at the center said.



The application of fuel cells has been expanding, from vehicles to power generation for homes and buildings.



Hyundai will deliver three Tucson ix35 fuel cell SUVs, mounting the new localized MEA, to the Chungnam Provincial Government on Sept. 21.



The company plans to lower the portion of high-priced platinum used in the battery, while increasing MEA's endurance to 10 years and 160,000 kilometers in the future.



