GWM Eyes at Future Mobility in Bid to Build World of Clean Energy, Unveiling Its Strategy to Be Global Leader in Hydrogen Energy and Investing More Than RMB 5 Billion for Continuing R&D over Next 3 Years

Global mobility technology company Great Wall Motor (GWM) recently held GWM Hydrogen Energy Strategy Global Launch, unveiling its strategic roadmap to spearhead future development of hydrogen energy and accelerate the world’s transition into the era of clean energy.

Attended by experts, partners and members of the press, the event saw GWM signing its industry partnership agreements with China Quality Certification Center and Tongji University.

The automotive industry is being disrupted worldwide by rapid technological advancement, fluctuating oil prices and global warming due to greenhouse effect. China, as the world's largest auto market, has rolled out supportive policies for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which require local governments and companies to build a more mature supply chain and business models for the industry. In a blueprint released in 2019, the China Hydrogen Alliance estimated that hydrogen will account for roughly 10% of China’s total energy supply by 2050.

Leading the Way in Clean Energy to Build the Future

GWM’s journey to global xEV leadership began five years ago when a dedicated xEV team was formed to lead development of core technologies for GWM’s FCEVs in 2016. With rapid growth in this area of development, GWM joined Hydrogen Council in 2017 as the first Chinese automobile enterprise member of this global initiative. In June the following year, it completed construction and started operation of the country’s first hydrogen technology development center and went on to acquire 100% shares of Shanghai Fuel Cell Vehicle Powertrain Co., Ltd. in July the same year. Later in 2019, GWM established FTXT Energy Technology Co., Ltd. to focus on market-oriented operation of hydrogen fuel cell technology. At last year’s Shanghai Auto Show, it exhibited 85kW fuel cell system and IV hydrogen storage tanks among other products, which reflected fast-achieving hydrogen energy development that led to the show of the first GWM concept FCEV in 2020.




All-encompassing Ecosystem Development Strategy towards Sustainable Energy Sector

GWM has built a solution of hydrogen power systems that meet high standard of vehicle regulations with gainful results by integrating technologies in hydrogen fuel cells, on-board hydrogen storage systems and hydrogen safety as well as every process of development from upstream to downstream, including hydrogen research, production, storage, transportation, installation, and application to build a well-developed hydrogen energy ecosystem. Among them, GWM’s subsidiary UTMOLIGHT has made a world record by achieving 20.01% photovoltaic efficiency with its new generation perovskite solar cell technology, making it the leader in solar energy conversion with the capability to provide solutions for all applications, especially electric vehicles. GWM has created the platform for large-scale renewable energy storage and application, including design of electric power systems that combine hydrogen and electric energy storage system with fuel cells, which laid a strong foundation for both stationary and mobile energy storage management.

Thanks to GWM’s commitment to R&D, its world-class hydrogen technology development center became operational in 2018, boasting nearly 10,000 square meters of lab space equipped with more than 240 sets of equipment with the capability to perform 181 analyses and testing services. It is the first R&D center in China that features 70MPa hydrogen circuit system, safety testing system, trial-manufacturing line for IV hydrogen storage tanks, automated manufacturing lines for fuel cell stacks and membrane electrode assemblies, and high-power operating system and vehicle testing.




To date, GWM has invested more than RMB 2 billion in hydrogen energy R&D and will invest RMB 3 billion more over the next three years to reach a production capacity of 10,000 sets as part of its efforts to become the country’s leader in hydrogen energy sector. With a belief that “talents are the foundation of innovation”, GWM has pooled together more than 430 international experts from Europe, U.S.A., Japan, South Korea, India, Canada, and other countries who have over ten years of technical experiences in energy technology, with more than half of them holding a postgraduate degree. Within GWM’s global network of five R&D centers in four countries, namely China (Shanghai and Baoding), Canada, Japan, and Germany, they engage themselves in R&D related to hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology solutions as well as future energy trends and development.

GWM is currently a fully independent owner of patents and intellectual property rights for six core technologies and products, comprising of 1) fuel cell stack and components; 2) fuel cell engines and components (controllers, etc.); 3) IV hydrogen storage tanks; 4) high-pressure hydrogen storage valves; 5) hydrogen safety; and 6) liquid hydrogen process.

Achievements in Response to National Strategy Grow into Consumer Innovations

GWM focuses its development on supporting three types of transportation, namely public transport/buses, heavy trucks/logistics, and passenger cars. To demonstrate FCEV application in transport sector, the company has been part of four demonstration pilot city clusters experimenting with special routes for heavy trucks in China, including route for agricultural commodities in Xinfadi, Beijing; route for aggregates and soils in Xiong'an New Area, Hebei; and logistics route in Binhai New Area, Tianjin. GWM has built a comprehensive service network spanning across material development, R&D, production, core technology research, and testing of hydrogen energy system devices in real-life conditions as part of its goals for continuous FCEV sector development towards 2025.




GWM aims to be the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of fuel cell passenger cars and will produce the world’s first 100 49-ton hydrogen energy heavy trucks within this year. The company will be launching its high-end passenger cars during the Winter Olympic Games next year and unveil commercial vehicles, such as heavy trucks and transportation vehicles, and extend application of low-carbon fuel cells to ships and rail transit to achieve its aspiration to be among the world’s top 3 players in hydrogen energy sector by 2025.

Topping Up and Bridging Innovations to Consumers with GWM LEMON

Another advancement by GWM is the integration of its hydrogen technology into LEMON platform, resulting in a solution of "hydrogen power systems" with the best value in automobile application. Suitable for all climate and road conditions, this carbon-free mobility is becoming one of the world’s mega trends that will bring significant achievements to the efforts to quench global warming. At GWM Hydrogen Energy Strategy Global Launch, GWM also signed industry partnership agreements with China Quality Certification Center and China’s Tongji University to jointly heighten their clean energy R&D to the topmost level. GWM’s world-leading achievements in hydrogen energy R&D will be a key turning point in building an efficient and sustainable world of clean energy.

www.gwm-global.com

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