Volkswagen Group is codeveloping a new hydrogen fuel cell that could be used for a future production model, a German patent application reveals.
The patent application was lodged jointly by VW and German company Kraftwerk Group in July 2021 but only recently made public. It covers work on a hydrogen fuel cell stack and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle that officials suggest could boast a range of up to 1,243 miles (2,000 km).
Key among the technologies being pursued by VW is a ceramic membrane. Described as being cheaper than the polymer membrane used by Hyundai and Toyota, it is considered crucial to the future volume production of hydrogen fuel cells for automotive applications.
The ceramic membrane also operates without platinum, a precious metal that up until now has proved to be one of the big financial hurdles to large-scale hydrogen fuel-cell production.