Schaeffler, Symbio’s New JV Innoplate Will Produce Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates
Automotive component and system solution provider, Schaeffler has signed an agreement with a Faurecia & Michelin hydrogen fuel cell developer, Symbio to set up a joint venture, under the brand name, Innoplate.
It will be a 50:50 joint venture, where both the companies will produce fuel cell bipolar plates for global mobility and energy solutions. The production unit will be located in Haguenau, Alsace region of France.
The new joint venture is expected to be established by the end of 2022 and the production is expected to begin in early 2024.
The company says that the new joint venture will accelerate the production of next-generation BPP for the entire proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell market, thus enhancing performance, capacity, and cost competitiveness for its customers.
Innoplate will enable and accelerate the mass-production of next-generation BPP with Symbio, with an initial capacity of 4 million BPP per year.
Under the joint venture, companies are aiming to produce annually around 50 million BPP globally and employ more than 120 people by 2030.
Symbio has already received a first major nomination for their fuel cell system from a leading automotive OEM and plans to use the new joint venture to supply the BPP for this program.
