Hydrogen and automotive

Car manufacturers have been researching the use of hydrogen for decades. Hydrogen vehicles are available today, yet suffer from the lack of an economic infrastructure, with the appropriate purity of hydrogen gas to support fuel cells. Hydrogen networks, with gas scrubbing technologies, will enable fuel cell infrastructures to be generated overnight. The main challenge currently lies in creating a national network of hydrogen filling stations.

Kiwa’s large hydrogen vehicle component test facility acts as a technical office for European vehicle certification authorities. The labs test and certify hydrogen tanks and vehicle components to EC79:2009, GTR No. 13, ECE 134, and hydrogen fuel cells to EN 62282. We also provide vehicle pre-shipment inspections, advise on hydrogen vehicle garaging and safety inspections of HRS installations.  

Hydrogen gas storage

Hydrogen car manufacturers face the challenge of storing hydrogen. It has a very low density, which means it must be stored under high pressure. Manufacturers produce extremely strong tanks made of composite materials to enable safe and effective hydrogen storage.

These tanks and their components must meet very strict requirements and are subjected to a wide range of tests under extreme conditions. Kiwa’s hydrogen laboratory has been testing automotive tanks for over a decade and has recently invested in doubling the capacity of the lab in anticipation of a large increase in hydrogen vehicles as part of the Energy Transition.