SAIC Motor, China Baowu to team up on hydrogen application, smart supply chain

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC Motor signed on July 15 a framework agreement with China Baowu Group, a state-owned iron and steel company headquartered in Shanghai, to carry out all-round cooperation on such areas as hydrogen utilization, integrated materials for automobiles, smart supply and industrial finance.

Focusing on a governmental action plan released in May to promote Shanghai's construction of the so-called new infrastructures, both parties will make joint efforts to build a national-level hydrogen industry demonstration zone, including an industrial park and two hydrogen corridors.

Under the agreement, China Baowu will make full use of its advantages in the production, storage, transportation and refueling of hydrogen, in a bid to offer hydrogen resources and relevant services to SAIC-owned fuel cell stack and system developers and car rental service providers. Besides, Baowu is about to provide and coordinate the detail scenarios for the trial applications of fuel cell vehicles and furnish cars with hydrogen-refueling and other supporting facilities. 

SAIC Motor will take charge of the R&D and mass-production planning of fuel cell vehicles, including logistics heavy-duty trucks, dumpers, business cars, sanitations vehicles and commuter buses, and work on developing the fuel cell vehicles based on specific scenarios.

Moreover, the Shanghai-based auto giant will support Baowu in developing technologies and products that adopt the core materials of metal bipolar plates, one of core parts of fuel cell.

In addition, both parties plan to conduct widespread collaboration in the development of new materials, molding technologies, the development and application of ultrafort steel, the lightweight car body construction, the smart supply chain, the block chain and the supply chain finance.

“The cooperation is favorable to the local development of the technologies and materials related to fuel cells,” said Lu Bingbing, general manager of Shanghai Hydrogen Propulsion Technology Co., Ltd. (SHPT), a subsidiary of SAIC Motor, “by adequately using Baowu's hydrogen resources, the refueling stations will have significantly better access to hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles will be given proper application scenarios.”(Photo source: SHPT's WeChat account)