Great Wall Motor's first fuel cell SUV to go into mass production in 2021

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Great Wall Motor (GWM)'s first fuel-cell SUV will be put into volume production in 2021, as part of endeavors to accelerate its deployment of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs), according to a posting on GWM's WeChat account.

On September 14, Weishi Energy Technology Co.,Ltd. (FTXT), a subsidiary of Great Wall Holdings Group Limited, launched a number of FCV-related products, including a 95kW fuel cell engine, a platform-based fuel cell stack whose maximum output can be increased to 150kW and a valve for 70MPa hydrogen storage cylinder. Of those, the 95kW fuel cell engine has been installed in GWM's forthcoming fuel cell SUV.

(FTXT's 95kW fuel cell engine; photo source: FTXT)

The Baoding-based GWM said it started in the early 2016 developing fuel cells as the group's key business and has so far poured 1.57 billion yuan ($231.871 million) with its own funds into relevant product development.

GWM announced its outset of FCV R&D in 2016. In 2019, Weishi Energy Technology Co.,Ltd. was founded in attempt to independently operate GWM's hydrogen energy business. Last year, the automaker revealed that it will launch its first full-power FCV prototype in 2020, roll out a FCV fleet in a small scale during the 2022 Winter Olympics, and then launch a mature fuel cell PV model in 2023.

(FTXT's 150kW platform-based fuel cell stack; photo source:FTXT)

Some industry insiders consider that FCVs have now been deployed in commercial vehicle area, while the introduction to PV field still remains to be waited given the difficulty in deploying infrastructures like hydrogen-refueling stations.

Many Chinese automakers are strengthening their FCV offensives. Over the next five years, SAIC Motor aims to roll out at least ten FCV (fuel cell vehicle) models and hit over 10,000 units in both annual FCV outputs and sales, representing more than 10% share in China's FCV market, according to the “Hydrogen Strategy” the automaker announced on September, the first-of-its-kind to China's automobile industry.

Under the newly-unveiled strategy, the company also expects the market value of Shanghai Hydrogen Propulsion Technology Co., Ltd. (SHPT), a fuel cell technology developer mainly owned by SAIC Motor, to grow to over ten billion yuan, and strives to form a fuel cell R&D and operation team with over 1,000 staff members by the same deadline.

At the same time, the Chinese biggest automaker launched the MAXUS EUNIQ7, which is purportedly the world's first fuel cell MPV model.