Professor Zhang Tong, Doctor of Engineering (Germany). He is currently a member of the Academic Committee of Tongji University, the director of the Academic Committee of the School of Automobile, and the director of the Institute of Fuel Cell Vehicle Technology. Professor Zhang Tong has a wealth of practical experience in the field of vehicle development of new automotive products, especially in the field of industrialization technology development. Since returning to China in 2009, he has been fully responsible for the management and construction of the new energy vehicle R&D team of Tongji University, and has undertaken the national and Shanghai major scientific research projects-the research and development and demonstration applications of fuel cell vehicles. Under his leadership, Tongji University has made major technological breakthroughs and technological accumulations in fuel cell vehicles, pure electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles, and developed a new generation of fuel cell power system technology platform that was widely used during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Application and played a very good demonstration application. The 173 sets of new energy vehicle power systems developed for the 2010 World Expo have been operating well and have been well received by all quarters. He himself was awarded the honorary title of “Overseas Famous Teacher” of Tongji University; in 2007, he won the first prize of Shanghai Science and Technology Progress Award, and in 2008, the “Key Technology of Fuel Cell Car Power Platform” led by him won the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award. In 2010, he won the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission's World Expo Active Contribution Award.
This article is a summary and prospect of the development status of China's fuel cell vehicle industry chain personally written by Professor Zhang Tong at the invitation of the China Automotive Industry Advisory Committee for the topic "Review of Automotive Experts-How to Transform and Upgrade the Automotive Supply Chain". China's automotive supply chain companies that take the fuel cell industry as the direction of transformation and upgrading will provide a reference. The following is the full text:
Current status and development of China's fuel cell vehicle industry chain
——Zhang Tong
Today's world is experiencing a major transition period from fossil energy to hydrogen energy and other non-fossil energy sources, the revolution in the energy field and the development of key technologies A breakthrough is imperative. As a secondary energy source, hydrogen energy has the advantages of wide sources and zero terminal emissions. It can also be used as a medium for energy interconnection. It is recognized as the best way to store large-scale and long-term centralized renewable energy. It has special features in the energy system. Strategic Position. The fuel cell using hydrogen as fuel can directly convert chemical energy into electrical energy without being restricted by the Carnot cycle. It is clean, pollution-free and has high power generation efficiency. Its modular structure is conducive to a wide range of applications in various fields, especially transportation And the field of stationary power generation is important. Among them, the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) has the advantages of low operating temperature and fast start-up, making it an ideal vehicle-mounted energy source. As of December 2019, the total number of fuel cell vehicles in the world was 24,132, and sales in 2019 reached 10,409, a record high.
The fuel cell vehicle industry chain is generally long, mainly including upstream hydrogen and hydrogen refueling stations, midstream fuel cells, downstream fuel cell vehicles and other links. Each link plays a vital role in the development of the industry. In recent years, the development of my country's fuel cell industry chain has been accelerating, with continuous improvements in policies and measures, continuous growth in the number of enterprises, and progress in key technologies. However, on the whole, the core technology of the fuel cell system segment has yet to be broken through. Key technologies such as hydrogen storage and transportation and refueling still have shortcomings, and infrastructure construction is relatively lagging. In the future, with the country's development of fuel cell vehicle demonstration applications as an opportunity, technological innovation and market expansion will be continuously promoted, and the prospects for my country's fuel cell vehicle industry are promising. Due to space constraints, this article focuses on the midstream and downstream parts of the industry chain, fuel cells and fuel cell vehicles.
1. Development status of China's fuel cell vehicle industry chain
1. Midstream: Fuel cell
fuel cell engine is divided into two parts: fuel cell stack and auxiliary subsystem. The core materials in fuel cell stack include membrane electrode and bipolar Among the auxiliary subsystems, important components such as the hydrogen circulation device, air compressor and humidifier play an indispensable role in improving the performance of the fuel cell system.
(1) After considerable development of fuel cell stacks and key materials
, fuel cell stacks have achieved breakthroughs in single stack power, power density, cold start temperature, life span and maximum efficiency. The performance of domestic battery stacks has been It has reached the international average level, and the leading companies have reached the world advanced level. Take JieHydro as an example, the new generation of fuel cell stack developed by it can reach 130kW with a power density of 3.8kW/L and a durability of 10000h. Compared with 2015, the general single-stack power of domestic stacks has been increased from 35kW to 48kW, and the power densities of graphite plate and metal plate stacks have been increased from 1.5kW/L, 2.0kW/L to 2.2kW/L, 3.0kW, respectively. /L, the cold start temperature is increased from -20℃ to -30℃, the life of graphite plate and metal plate stacks have been increased from 3000h five years ago to 12000h and 5000h, respectively, and the maximum efficiency of the stack has been increased from 55% to 60%. But overall, domestic stacks still have a lot of room for improvement in specific power, cold start technology, and large-scale production processes, and the cost needs to be greatly reduced. In terms of
membrane electrodes, there are already independent research and development production lines in China, whose performance and life can compete with the international advanced level, and commercial production can be realized. The membrane electrode production technology has undergone the innovation of hot pressing method, CCM method and ordered membrane electrode. Among them, ordered membrane electrode is the main direction of the next generation of membrane electrode preparation technology. With regard to proton exchange membranes, the core material—perfluorosulfonic acid resin—is almost entirely dependent on imports, and the market is basically monopolized by a few foreign companies. Domestic proton exchange membranes have a price advantage, but due to stability and reliability considerations, imported membranes still dominate when the current consumption is low. In terms of catalysts, domestic industrialization is still blank, and the products are relatively single. The batch preparation technology of catalysts is controlled by foreign suppliers such as Japan and the United Kingdom. Compared with the international level, the platinum load is higher, which is one of the reasons for the high cost of domestic stacks. For the
gas diffusion layer, the performance uniformity and stability of domestic carbon paper has not yet been verified by experiments. It is in the preparation stage of the primary carbon microporous layer. The product is monopolized by large factories in Japan, Canada, Germany and other countries. The development of the process needs to be explored urgently.
bipolar plates are mainly divided into graphite plates, metal plates, and composite plates according to their materials. At present, graphite bipolar plates are mainly used in China. The technical indicators are equivalent to those of foreign countries, but the thickness is still far behind the international first-class level. Domestic metal bipolar plates The development of the substrate is still blank. The purely domestic composite film laminated carbon sheet is in the research and development stage, and mass production of 1mm sheet is expected to start in 2021.
Table 1 Main domestic manufacturers of fuel cell stacks and key materials and their development status
(2) Fuel cell system and core components
At present, my country’s fuel cell system has basically achieved domestic production, and the performance and performance of independently developed fuel cell engines Environmental adaptability continues to improve. Taking Yihuatong as an example, the system power has exceeded 100kW, and the power density has reached 500W/kg. Domestic fuel cell systems generally have a rated power of more than 60kW, a maximum efficiency of 53%, and a cold start temperature of -30°C. In terms of system life, passenger car and commercial vehicle fuel cell systems have achieved the 5000h and 10000h targets in the "Fuel Cell Vehicle Technology Roadmap" released in 2016. However, there is still a gap between the maximum efficiency of commercial vehicle fuel cell systems and the set goal of 55% in 2020. Due to the current production scale, the cost of passenger vehicle fuel cell systems has not achieved the 10,000 sets of 1,500 yuan/kW requirement. In terms of key components of the
system, the main components of the system such as air compressors and hydrogen circulation pumps have been made domestically, and they are in the stage of supporting and small batch applications: the main types of
air compressors are screw type, centrifugal type, and Roots type At present, more than 80% of domestic and foreign manufacturers choose centrifugal air compressors as their product research and development direction, and the lower price and more suitable for commercial heavy truck applications, Roots air compressors have a larger share in the domestic market. In 2019 Shipments accounted for more than 50%. Domestic air compressors can meet the needs of fuel cell vehicles in the trial operation phase, but their reliability and service life have yet to be effectively verified. In terms of hydrogen circulating pumps, the main market share of
hydrogen circulating pumps is still occupied by foreign companies. Small batches can be supplied in China, mainly for low-power stacks, and the safety, reliability, and system adaptability of the products have yet to be verified by actual vehicles. . In addition to the traditional hydrogen circulating pump technical solution, the ejector that covers the full power range is also one of the key development directions of the hydrogen supply system in the future. Domestic companies represented by Deran Power have carried out ejection-return hydrogen components. R&D and production.
For vehicle-mounted hydrogen storage bottles, 35MPa hydrogen storage bottles have been domestically produced in batches. However, due to insufficient standards and regulations, high prices of key materials, low demand, etc., 70MPa, which is practical for mass production and more cost and performance advantages, has been obtained internationally Research on hydrogen storage bottles in ChinaThe development is relatively backward. However, with the liberalization of national standards, the layout of 70MPa IV cylinders has been carried out, and breakthroughs have been made in 70MPa hydrogen storage cylinder valves and pressure reducing valves. At the same time, some local governments in Foshan City have issued project declaration notices. It has also been clearly mentioned that enterprises will be funded to break through the key technology of composite material structure of 70MPa IV hydrogen cylinders and promote the development of domestic IV hydrogen cylinders.
Table 2 Domestic main manufacturers of fuel cell systems and core components and their development status
2. Downstream: complete vehicles
At present, my country's fuel cell vehicles are mainly dominated by passenger cars and special vehicles, and the research and development of fuel cell passenger vehicles has also started. As of the end of 2019, the global sales of fuel cell vehicles reached 25,212, and the sales volume in my country was 6,178, ranking second in the world, accounting for more than a quarter. In 2019, the production and sales of fuel cell vehicles in my country were 2,833 and 2,737, respectively, an increase of 85.5% and 79.2% year-on-year. Affected by the epidemic in the first half of 2020, my country's fuel cell vehicle output was 582, a decrease of 58.7% from 1,408 in the same period in 2019. In terms of vehicle models, the same as in 2019, only passenger cars and special vehicles are still produced, without passenger cars, of which 549 passenger cars are produced, accounting for the majority of the proportion. Under the background of continuous support from policies and plans, the commercial demonstration operation of fuel cell vehicles in my country has achieved fruitful results. Demonstration operations for the commercialization of fuel cell vehicles have been carried out in 36 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. More than 6,500 fuel cell vehicles have been promoted nationwide, making it the country with the most fuel cell commercial vehicles in the world. The four regional industrial clusters in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Central China cover the entire industrial chain of hydrogen production, storage, transportation and application, and explore their respective business application models in the process of developing fuel cell vehicles. Among them, the Yangtze River Delta region is rich in by-product hydrogen resources and has the most complete industry chain foundation. It is one of the regions with the largest number of fuel cell vehicle operations in China; Guangdong Province has strong policy support for hydrogen energy, and the hydrogen energy industry layout in Foshan and Yunfu It is in the forefront of the country; Beijing relies on the Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics, a major project, universities and scientific research institutions, and has obvious technical and market advantages; Zhengzhou, Henan and Wuhan, Hubei also have a number of leading enterprises such as Yutong Bus and Wuhan Polytech New Energy. The development space is vast. In terms of fuel cell bus technology, the rated power of the system has steadily increased. The proportion of 40-60kW fuel cell buses will increase from 12% in 2018 to 78% in 2020, and the proportion of 60-80kW will increase from 11% in 2018 to 2020. Of 22%. Representative companies include SAIC Maxus, Zhengzhou Yutong, Foshan Feichi, Xiamen Golden Travel, Shanghai Shenlong, Yunnan Wulong, Zhongtong Bus, etc.; for fuel cell special vehicles, Shanghai Shenlong, Zhongtong Bus and other companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen, etc. The region has realized the commercialization of light and medium-sized hydrogen-fueled logistics vehicles. 9 car companies including Dongfeng, Jiangling, Jiefang, and Dayun are also launching tractors, van-type logistics vehicles and sanitation vehicles. my country’s fuel cell commercial vehicles adopt the electric-electric hybrid technical route, which has certain advantages in terms of cruising range and vehicle cost compared with foreign countries. It generally reaches 500km, the maximum speed reaches 80km/h, and it can achieve -30℃ cold start, but There is still a gap with foreign advanced levels in terms of fuel cell system rated power and vehicle durability. The cost of the vehicle is relatively high, and the life of commercial vehicles has not yet been accurately evaluated in practice. In the field of
fuel cell passenger vehicles, the performance of foreign vehicles has reached the level of traditional vehicles. The models represented by Toyota Mirai, Honda Clarity, and Hyundai Nexo have achieved mass production and sales. The fuel cell passenger vehicles currently entering the sale stage in China include the fuel cell sedan SAIC Roewe 950 FCV released in 2016 and the first domestic fuel cell MPV SAIC MAXUSEUNIQ7 released in 2020. Although few fuel cell passenger models have been mass-produced, almost all domestic vehicle companies have already deployed in this field and achieved initial results.
2. Summary and Prospects
Nowadays, my country has basically mastered the core technology of fuel cell vehicle design, power system and key components, and basically established a relatively complete fuel cell vehicle industry chain with independent intellectual property rights, but the scale The level of chemical production is still slightly lagging behind, and there is still a gap between the overall technical level and the foreign first-class level. Relatively high manufacturing costs, core technologies that need to be tackled urgently,Obviously weak infrastructure is the main bottleneck restricting the further development of my country's fuel cell vehicle industry chain.
In the future, in the upstream of the fuel cell vehicle industry chain, hydrogen production from renewable energy sources such as photovoltaics and wind power will be vigorously promoted to form a hydrogen energy production network tailored to local conditions and with high efficiency and low carbon; in terms of hydrogen energy storage and transportation, develop high-pressure gas above 45PMa Hydrogen storage, the development of long-distance liquid hydrogen transportation and the application of liquid hydrogen refueling stations, and gradually transition to a solution with liquid hydrogen as the mainstream; the vehicle-mounted hydrogen storage will mainly be 70MPa IV bottle, from normal temperature to low temperature, small volume to large volume With the development, with the localization of key carbon fiber materials and high-pressure pipe valves, the cost of on-board hydrogen storage will be reduced by more than 60%; the types of hydrogen refueling stations will gradually be diversified, specialized, and standardized. Through overall planning with local governments, central enterprises And state-owned enterprises will take the lead in leading hydrogen refueling stations to blossom at more points, forming a more complete upstream industry supporting system. In the midstream of the
industry chain, fuel cell stacks and key materials start with performance improvement and volume reduction, and the power density of fuel cells will be further improved. Starting from reducing activation polarization, ohmic polarization, mass transfer polarization, etc., research new high-stability, high-activity low-Pt or non-Pt catalysts, composite membranes with good stability and high temperature resistance, basic membranes, mechanical, Metal and composite bipolar plates with better processability and conductivity can improve the performance of key materials such as catalysts, membranes, and bipolar plates; at the same time, reduce the thickness of hardware such as plates and increase integration. In terms of fuel cell systems, highly integrated parts and simplified system structures will become a trend, and highly intelligent, high-power and high-performance fuel cell systems will become the mainstream. In addition, the large-scale production process will promote the further reduction of fuel cell manufacturing costs. The downstream fuel cell vehicle field of
will develop towards the goal of high power, long battery life and highly integrated system. As a breakthrough in the entire fuel cell industry, commercial vehicles will be promoted with heavy load and distance based on the original models. The long and medium-heavy truck tilts, the application scenarios of fuel cell vehicles will continue to be broadened, and they will be fully promoted in long-distance passenger transportation, tractors, port trailers and other fields, which will drive the demonstration operation of passenger vehicles or time-sharing leasing, promote cost reduction and Infrastructure construction promotes the in-depth process of fuel cell technology in the field of private consumption.
Under the escort of effective energy management regulations, policy support from the central and local governments, a scientific model of integration of industry, academia and research, an atmosphere of teamwork in technological research, and a complete testing and evaluation standard system, the fuel cell vehicle industry is in the ascendant. The successful completion of my country's "Energy-saving and New Energy Automobile Industry Development Plan" set forth in China's "Energy-saving and New Energy Automobile Industry Development Plan" set forth in the fuel cell vehicle "application scale of 100,000 vehicles in 2025, large-scale commercial application of millions in 2030" is just around the corner.
