According to Hydrogen Central, Volkswagen has filed a patent application for an innovative fuel cell technology that costs less and uses hydrogen more sparingly, enabling the creation of cars with 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) of range between refuels. The market launch is expected in four years’ time.
We are told that Volkswagen applied for the patent together with Kraftwerk Tubes, a research company based in Germany. The research team relied on exotic materials, such as ceramics instead of polymers, to reduce costs and improve drivetrain characteristics. The new design allegedly also enables the company to avoid using expensive platinum parts. The rest of the technicalities remain to be revealed.
For its own part, Kraftwerk says the application will enable it to license the tech to third-party vendors: apparently, the company did not develop it exclusively for VW. According to the CEO, multiple manufacturers will be launching simultaneous production of these next-gen fuel cell packs to get around 10,000 vehicles running on it in test mode. If all goes according to plans, mass production will begin in 2026.
Funnily enough, Hydrogen Central did not miss the chance to remind us that the senior management of VW including CEO Herbert Diess had previously been vocally opposed to hydrogen cars, arguing that regular electric vehicles were more viable. Apparently, there has been a change of mind in the company since then.