Hutchinson targets more efficient, lower-cost fuel cells

Paris – Hutchinson SA is launching a project to develop innovative and cost-effective bipolar plates for new-generation fuel cells, the French group announced 27 Jan.

Leveraging Hutchinson's in-house materials expertise, the OBI-1 project is intended to reduce manufacturing costs, improve performance and reduce the carbon footprint of fuel cells.

Central to the performance of these electrochemical devices are the bipolar plates, which facilitate the distribution of gases, conduction of electrical currents, and thermal management of the fuel cell.

With OBI-1, Hutchinson aims to develop a new generation of bipolar plates incorporating advanced sealing technology that improves fuel cell performance and reduces both their carbon footprint and cost.

To deliver these goals, the French manufacturer is developing a composite plate with a new material and manufacturing process.

Hutchinson is also developing a metal plate with an integrated sealing system and an optimised mass manufacturing process, employing ‘very thin’ sheet.

The project, which actually started in July 2024, is scheduled to run until early 2028, led by experts from the group’s ‘research and innovation centre’ and ‘precision sealing systems activity’ teams.

They will focus on “the R&D of new materials for composite and metallic bipolar plates, assembly technologies and associated sealing systems,” said Hutchinson.

The work, it added, will be aimed at improving transverse conductivity, enhancing corrosion resistance, and perfecting elastomeric sealing with low chemical release.

The project also includes validation under representative conditions and the transition to mass production.

"This project represents a crucial step in our commitment to cleaner, more sustainable energy use,"?Brice Gabrielle, hydrogen R&D project co-ordinator said in the Hutchinson release.

By the end of the project, Hutchinson expects to be able to produce compact bipolar plate solutions with integrated sealing systems.

The end-goal, it concluded, is to achieve large-scale production of stacks that are “smaller or generate more power for the same footprint, improved functional performance and simplified stack assembly.”