Hyundai Motor, Kia develop ultra-high-temp hydrogen fuel cells with US firm

Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Corp. has joined forces with Advent Technologies, an American maker of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), a key component of high-temperature fuel cells, to popularize a hydrogen-based society.

The two carmakers on Wednesday in the Boston suburb of Charlestown, Massachusetts, signed an agreement on joint MEA development at Advent headquarters. The US materials company specializes in manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells and possesses the best MEA technology to produce high-temperature fuel cells.

Under the agreement, the three sides by the end of next year will secure core technologies for MEA and stack for hydrogen fuel cells used at ultra-high temperatures. The systems of such cells normally operate at up to 200 degrees Celsius and are more stable and cost-effective than those of low temperature that run at 100 degrees or lower.

Commercial use of low-temperature hydrogen fuel cells needs a humidifier that supplies massive moisture based on expensive platinum catalysts. Such cells running at ultra-high temperatures, however, require a relatively small amount of catalysts and simplification of the system is possible because no separate humidifier is needed.

Through this joint development, Hyundai Motor and Kia will supply their self-developed ion-conducting materials and catalysts to Advent, which will use them to support MEA production and process technology needed to run ultra-high temperature fuel cells. Cross-verification of the produced materials' performance is done at each development stage.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com