Continental inaugurates new fuel cell laboratory together with TU Chemnitz

Continental AG in strategic cooperation with the Chemnitz University of Technology Professorship of Advanced Powertrains (ALF), has established a new Fuel Cell Laboratory.

Taking part in the inauguration of the laboratory were Martin Dulig, Saxon State Minister for Economy Affairs, Labor and Transport (SMWA) and Deputy Premier of the Free State of Saxony, Stephan Rebhan, Head of Powertrain Technology and Innovation at Continental AG, Prof. Dr. Gerd Strohmeier, President of Chemnitz University of Technology, Prof. Dr. Thomas Unwerth, Chair of the Professorship ALF at Chemnitz University of Technology, and Miko Runkel, Mayor of the City of Chemnitz.

With the installation of a large hydrogen tank (H2 Tank) in February 2019 at a laboratory belonging to the Professorship ALF, a central requirement for the expansion to more extensive measuring capabilities was put into place. The Professorship ALF, headed by Prof. Dr. Thomas von Unwerth, has an excellent reputation in the field of research and development of fuel cells, due in large part to Unwerth‘s expertise. By working together with Continental AG as the largest industrial partner in the “HZwo - Antrieb für Sachsen” Cluster of Innovation, the new Fuel Cell Materials Laboratory on the Chemnitz University of Technology campus is now one of the most modern H2 laboratories in Germany.

“Hydrogen-based fuel cells have the potential to become an important part of the future of mobility. Therefore, we are intensifying our research and development efforts in this field,“ said Stephan Rebhan, Head of Technology and Innovation at Continental AG‘s Powertrain Division. “With Chemnitz University of Technology, we have gained an outstanding partner for the testing of materials, components and entire fuel cell systems. This continues a long series of successful collaborations with technical universities, and we are proud of this long tradition at Continental.”

“The special technical equipment at the laboratory is unparalleled in the European university landscape,” said Prof. Dr. Thomas von Unwerth. “The heart of the new system is a high-performance test bench that accommodates permanent testing of powertrain performance up to 150 kilowatts. In the future, the test bench can also be converted up to 300kW. This lays the foundation for the development of next-generation fuel cells and fuel cell systems at Chemnitz University of Technology.” Geared towards a networking-based outlook, third-party companies can also use the laboratory.

Electric drivetrains with fuel cells are expected to be an important option, especially for larger vehicles and long-range commercial vehicles. In order to test the performance of the fuel cell under different conditions, the new test bench is able to simulate changing environmental conditions and workloads, something that is essential for assessing the performance of a hydrogen fuel cell. The tests are carried out at different temperatures, pressure conditions and humidities, and additionally under simulation of different load requirements, such as weight or mountainous terrain. Initial measurement tasks having to do with research projects involving innovative materials for fuel cells are already underway, and are creating the basis for mass production of particularly efficient and economical components and elements.

Powertrain fuel cells are still struggling to deal with high costs. Therefore, one of the first two Continental projects in the fuel cell laboratory is dedicated to the development of new so-called “bipolar plates”. These metallic plates are a central component of the fuel cell stack. They disperse gases and dissipate the current generated by their reaction. “The goal of the project is the preparation of a large-scale production of new bipolar plates with a higher energy density, which allows for smaller dimensions and overall makes more economical systems a possibility“, explained Rebhan. In addition, controllers and control algorithms for the efficient operation of fuel cells will be developed during the course of a second project.