Automotive Engineering - November/December 2021 - 23

High on hydrogen
Through its Symbio joint venture
with Michelin, Faurecia expands
far beyond its interior-systems
base into the fuel-cell future.
by Lindsay Brooke
COVER STORY
Clean Mobility group
GM Jose-Vicente
March with pressure
tanks at Faurecia's
Farmington Hills,
Michigan, tech center.
W
ith only a single proton and electron, hydrogen is the
lightest element in the Periodic Table, but it is having a
heavy impact on Faurecia. The French Tier-1 supplier,
whose automotive seating and interiors businesses accounted
for nearly 69% of sales in 2020, is staking a significant slice
of its future growth in hydrogen fuel-cell systems. It's a bold and admittedly
disruptive strategy that Jose-Vicente March, Faurecia's general
manager, Zero Emissions in the Clean Mobility group, is confident
will establish his company as a technology and market leader.
" Yes, it's been disruptive - but it's applied disruption! Our initiative
on hydrogen and fuel cells is a key mission for us, " March explained in
an interview with SAE Media. " It's part of Faurecia's commitment to
be CO2 neutral by 2050. One of our four business groups, Clean
Mobility [its exhaust-aftertreatment products accounted for 26% of
sales in 2020], was already addressing the market transitions from IC
engines to zero-emissions engines. So, it was logical for them to lead
our hydrogen effort. From both the business and environmental
points of view, we will be part of the powertrain revolution. "
Faurecia could have expanded into battery-electric technologies,
but more than four years ago company leadership bet big on hydrogen.
" We believe the real solution for zero emissions commercial vehicles
- trucks, buses, fleet vehicles - as well as some passenger
vehicles and light trucks such as pickups and SUVs, is fuel-cell power, "
March said. " The commercial-vehicle market especially is based
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
on total cost of ownership (TCO). Fuel cells offer faster
fueling, much lower mass than a battery pack and, we
think, better range and payload. "
While a fueling infrastructure is being built out and
there is growing demand for stationary storage, " distribution
is a clear challenge for hydrogen in the U.S. "
noted March, a Spanish engineer who began his career
at Grupo Antolin.
Industry forecasts and investors are equally high on
hydrogen. An August 2021 report by Market Research
Future projected the global hydrogen fuel-cell market to
be worth U.S. $46.89 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR
of 68.52% during the 2021-2028 forecast period. The market
was valued at U.S. $1.17 billion in 2020. A growing list
of vehicle OEMs, including BMW, GM, Honda, Hyundai,
Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Nikola, PACCAR, Renault, Tata
and Toyota have active development programs. Faurecia
itself projects demand for 2.5 million hydrogen-powered
vehicles by 2030, including 500,000 commercial trucks.
Ambitious growth targets
To create and accelerate a new business in an almost alien
technology space required what March calls " a piece-byNovember/December
2021 23
LINDSAY BROOKE
Automotive Engineering - November/December 2021

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