xperion Energy & Environment GmbH, in partnership with Adam Opel AG and the Darmstadt University of Technology, has developed a new high-pressure, carbon-fiber hydrogen storage tank for fuel-cell vehicles.
The company says the tank's operating pressure is more than 10,000 psi (700 bar), but its construction uses 20% less carbon fiber than existing tank technologies. The partners employed an ‘innovative epoxy composite’ and ‘unique simulation tool’ in concert with the carbon fiber in order to achieve this decrease in material usage while maintaining a very high operating pressure.
‘By performing the necessary winding tests and the container testing, xperion offered key contributions to making this 700-bar pressure tank a reality and to integrating the new methods into existing manufacturing processes.,’ the company says.
Additionally, xperion says the tank can hold enough fuel to give a typical light-duty hydrogen fuel cell vehicle a range of about 310 miles.
