Maumee, Ohio-based Dana Holding Corp. says it has joined a consortium of fuel cell component developers, academic institutions and automaker BMW Group for a three-year project to develop and validate next-generation automotive fuel cell stack technology and materials.
According to Dana Holding, the overall intent of the Project INSPIRE consortium is to accelerate the commercialization of high-performance, zero-emission, fuel cell-powered electric vehicles and to increase the global competitiveness of the European fuel cell industry.
As part of the consortium, engineers at Dana’s technology center in Germany will lead the development of an advanced metallic bipolar plate design, which delivers hydrogen and air to membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), a critical component of automotive fuel cells. Dana says its patented metallic bipolar plate technology will help the fuel cell industry meet its commercialization cost and performance targets.
Project INSPIRE is being supported by a grant of nearly $8 million from the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, a public-private partnership that supports research, technological development and demonstration activities in the fuel cell and hydrogen energy sectors in Europe.
Johnson Matthey, a global supplier of fully integrated MEAs, will lead the consortium and coordinate the project activities. Pretexo will provide project management support.
