In early March 2021, ElringKlinger and Plastic Omnium declared their intention to give fresh impetus to the production of fuel cell stacks and components with their new join venture – EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies. According to company reports, the aim of EKPO, in which ElringKlinger holds a 60 percent ownership stake, is to manufacture fuel cell components at competitive prices “at first mainly for commercial vehicles and buses and then also for cars.” A production figure of up to 10,000 stacks a year is forecast. Company bosses explained that there is sufficient production capacity available to be able to realize a sales volume of between EUR 700 million and EUR 1 billion by the year 2030 which equates to a market share of 10 percent to 15 percent.
Plastic Omnium
Hannover Messe remodels Energy show
Change is coming to energy, industrial and transportation sectors all over the world. Everywhere, countries are looking for future-proof solutions to transform their economies into something more environmentally sustainable and energy efficient. Hannover Messe, taking place April 23 through 27, will offer them ways to accomplish their goals. The center of attention will again be the Energy, one of the five lead shows.
Swiss Hydrogen turns French
Swiss Hydrogen, a manufacturer of fuel cell systems, has a new owner. Groupe E, an energy provider based in Switzerland, announced in late 2017 that it had sold its stake in the company to Plastic Omnium, a French supplier of auto parts. The latter also acquired the shares held by others, namely entrepreneur Marco Simeoni, venture capital firm Capital Risque Fribourg and the Paul Scherrer Institute, also known as PSI.