Michelin Hydrogen 15 Year Commitment
“Michelin is committed to making mobility more sustainable and working with all the best partners. We believe that hydrogen mobility offers the greatest potential to simultaneously address three major issues: pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and the energy transition. It is also, by far, one of the few technologies promoting industrial and energy sovereignty for Europe. For all these reasons, hydrogen is a strategic growth area for Michelin. A significant share of the group’s business will effectively be non-tyre related in ten years’ time.” Florent Menegaux – CEO of the Michelin Group.
HYDROGEN: A TECHNOLOGY OF THE FUTURE
For Michelin, hydrogen technology offers an indispensable solution for improving air quality, reducing CO2 emissions, and promoting the energy transition. According to Sonia Artinian-Fredou, Executive Vice-President of Business, Services, and Solutions, High-Tech Materials — Member of the Michelin Group Executive Committee: “Hydrogen will play a key role in the massive development of electric vehicles and therefore ‘zero-emission’ mobility. It will also help speed up the energy transition since it’s one of the most flexible storage vectors for renewable energy.” Thanks to more than 15 years of fuel cell research and development, Michelin is now a leader in hydrogen technology and has great ambitions for its large-scale development.
Did you know ?
33 million is the estimated number of hydrogen vehicles that will be sold in Europe in 2050 (according to the McKinsey study conducted for the FCHJU – Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking-)
MICHELIN’S TOP THREE OBJECTIVES FOR EXPLOITING HYDROGEN’S FULL POTENTIAL
Michelin demonstrates their belief in hydrogen’s potential through concrete commitments centered around three main objectives: become a world leader in hydrogen fuel cell systems, help companies “green” their fleets and accelerate the deployment of hydrogen mobility by serving as a critical and unifying player in the ecosystem.
“TAKE ACTION AND UNIFY” TO DEVELOP THE SECTOR
To become essential players in the hydrogen fuel cell sector, Michelin and Faurecia joined forces in 2019 to create a joint venture called “Symbio, a Faurecia Michelin Hydrogen company.“ Michelin also wants to help companies green their fleets, particularly in Europe, by capitalizing on the expertise of Masternaut, a fleet management leader in France and the United Kingdom, and a Michelin company.
And to accelerate the development of the industry, Michelin is playing an important unifying role by chairing the “Hydrogen Europe” association, which brings together manufacturers, researchers, and national associations across Europe. Additionally, Michelin joined the Hydrogen Council’s Executive Board in early 2020. Michelin’s commitment to hydrogen is also exemplified by our many public-private partnerships, like the Zero Emission Valley Project for the massive and simultaneous deployment of hydrogen vehicles and the supporting infrastructure.
MISSIONH24, ACCELERATING HYDROGEN TECHNOLOGY THROUGH MOTORSPORTS
Last June, Michelin became a partner in MissionH24, a project to accelerate “zero-emission” mobility through racing by expanding the use of hydrogen in endurance races. The racing experience acquired through MissionH24 will inform Symbio’s strategy and help it become a major player in hydrogen mobility in the next few years. During the 24 Hours of Le Mans on September 19, 2020, the LMP H2G, the world’s first “Le Mans Prototype” (LMP) race car equipped with an electric-hydrogen engine, will do a demonstration lap. Its development phase will continue to prepare for the addition of a Hydrogen category in 2024.
BUT WHAT IS HYDROGEN AND HOW IS IT PRODUCED?
Hydrogen (H2) is the most abundant element on Earth, but it is rarely found alone. This is why H2 is produced by extracting it from hydrogen compounds.
For the time being, hydrogen production is still very carbon intensive: globally, over 90% of hydrogen is extracted from hydrocarbons by using the following production processes:
- Steam reforming of natural gas: methane molecules are cracked using water vapor to obtain a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2)
- Coal gasification: coal is broken down during heating to obtain a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen
The electrolysis of water accounts for a less significant portion of hydrogen production, and is a clean alternative as no CO2 is emitted during the process: electricity splits water molecules (H2O) into hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). Provided that the electricity is generated by renewable energy sources, this is an environmentally friendly process. This production method has the momentum behind it to be developed in the years ahead and is one of the priority objectives at the European level.
The main challenge of making hydrogen production carbon free is achieving cost levels that allow for widespread adoption.
Le principal défi de la décarbonation de la production de l’hydrogène, est d’atteindre des niveaux de coûts compatibles avec une diffusion en masse.
HOW IS HYDROGEN CURRENTLY USED?
Most hydrogen (over 90%) is currently used in industrial applications:
- Chemicals: ammoniac (fertilizer) and methanol production
- Refining petroleum products
- Steel production
AND IN THE FUTURE?
WHAT ARE THE PROPERTIES OF HYDROGEN?
Hydrogen is an extremely lightweight gas that takes up a considerably large volume under normal pressure conditions i.e., at atmospheric pressure. In order to effectively store and transport hydrogen, its volume must be substantially reduced, and there are many ways of doing this. One method is to store it in gaseous form under high pressure, a proven technique that is commonly used in FCEVs*. Another is to store it in liquid form at very low temperatures.
When compressed to 700 bar in a passenger vehicle, the combustion of one kilogram of hydrogen releases around three times more energy than an equivalent amount of gasoline.
HOW DOES A HYDROGEN-POWERED VEHICLE WORK?
The engine of a hydrogen-powered vehicle runs on electricity generated using a fuel cell. The fuel cell combines the oxygen in the air with the hydrogen stored in the tank to generate electricity, and the only by-product is the water released by the vehicle.
As well as contributing to cutting greenhouse gas emissions produced by the transportation sector, hydrogen power also can help improve air quality, particularly in urban centers. In addition, hydrogen makes it possible to store excess renewable energy generated by wind turbines or solar panels.
Full cell technologie
CAN HYDROGEN-POWERED VEHICLES BE CONSIDERED ELECTRIC VEHICLES?
Yes, hydrogen-powered vehicles are electric vehicles, just like battery-powered vehicles. The key difference is the way the energy is stored on board.
A hydrogen-powered vehicle (FCEV*) is an electric vehicle with an autonomous power supply provided by a fuel cell. It offers many of the same advantages, including zero CO2, particulate and pollutant emissions tank‑to‑wheel, and smooth, silent running. These vehicles boast a similar refill time to vehicles running on traditional fuel (provided that an adequate network of refueling stations is in place).
This technology is complementary to battery electric vehicles (BEV*). BEVs have been on the road for a number of years, whereas FCEVs have been rolled out more recently.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FUEL CELL AND A BATTERY?
Battery and hydrogen fuel cell technologies are complementary and together are paving the way for the mass electrification of vehicles.
WHAT CHALLENGES DO HYDROGEN-POWERED VEHICLES FACE?
There are many challenges, with the future of hydrogen power intertwined in particular with the climate- and energy-related ambitions of governments, national strategies under way and subsidy programs introduced by public authorities to support the switch to hydrogen-powered mobility in terms of infrastructure, vehicles and energy costs.
The economic challenge basically lies in the industry’s ability to develop from small- to large-series production, shifting from the scale of the laboratory to that of the mass-producing plant. The volume effect will be very significant once annual production exceeds 10,000 for automotive systems.
WHAT CHALLENGES DOES MICHELIN FACE?
Michelin is convinced that hydrogen technology is a key solution for improving air quality, cutting CO2 emissions and promoting the energy transition. Having worked on fuel cell research and development for more than 15 years (fourth generation of the hydrogen fuel cell), Michelin is now at the cutting edge of hydrogen fuel cell technology.
Michelin is set to fast-track its development projects:
- Becoming a world leader in hydrogen battery systems with Symbio, the joint-venture founded by Michelin and Faurecia
- Developing hydrogen-powered mobility at the regional level while simultaneously developing vehicles and infrastructure HymPulsion
- Boosting hydrogen-powered mobility through motor racing. Michelin and Symbio became partners of MissionH24, a project looking to integrate hydrogen-powered technology into endurance race vehicles competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024
- Bringing together players in the hydrogen sector from across the entire value chain