Mexican Media Brands
Audi, Ballard Extend Fuel Cell Pact
Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit has extended its fuel cell development contract with Canada’s Ballard Power Systems Inc. to August 2022.
Share
Volkswagen AG’s Audi unit has extended its fuel cell development contract with Canada’s Ballard Power Systems Inc. to August 2022.
The new contract is valued at between C$80 million and C$130 million ($62 million-$100 million). Under the program, Ballard will design and produce next-generation fuel cell systems for Audi demonstration vehicles and a “small series-production” launch the carmaker is planning.
The program involves fuel cell stack development and system design support. This includes the membrane electrode assembly, plate and stack components, plus testing and integration work.
Audi and VW have used previous Ballard fuel systems in three concept vehicles: the Golf SportWagen HyMotion, Passat HyMotion and Audi A7 Sportback H-tron Quattro. The H-tron Quattro (top) featured three 10,000-psi hydrogen tanks that provided an estimated driving range of 370 miles on the European cycle.
As part of the contract extension in 2015, VW also purchased $50 million worth of automotive fuel cell patents that Ballard had acquired from United Technologies Corp.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Increasing Use of Structural Adhesives in Automotive
Can you glue a car together? Frank Billotto of DuPont Transportation & Industrial discusses the major role structural adhesives can play in vehicle assembly.
-
Plastics: The Tortoise and the Hare
Plastic may not be in the news as much as some automotive materials these days, but its gram-by-gram assimilation could accelerate dramatically.
-
On Fuel Cells, Battery Enclosures, and Lucid Air
A skateboard for fuel cells, building a better battery enclosure, what ADAS does, a big engine for boats, the curious case of lean production, what drivers think, and why Lucid is remarkable
