An excellent step forwards for the hydrogen industry was recently announced, concerning the approval of Voith Composite’s hydrogen storage vessel.

This storage vessel has been named, Carbon4Tank and it has been designed to be used in heavy-duty trucks and other commercial vehicles. It was The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe who approved the Type IV 700 bar and 350 litre hydrogen capacity tank.

The tank had to go through a strict set of tests and procedures in order to gain approval. These tests and guidelines were standard and uniform and were done to ensure that the tanks met the important performance requirements. Once these tests and guidelines were passed, the tanks received type approval, as well as on-road service approval. These tests covered necessary checks such as, burst pressure, pressure cycle life, expected on-road performance, fire safety and component isolation.

To ensure that these tests would be passed and approval would be gained, the development of the Voith hydrogen storage vessel Carbon4Tank was undertaken with use of materials and processes that would enable high quality and high volumes in production. These specialist materials and processes were used from the beginning to the end, to ensure maximum quality throughout the process to the end product.

Since being given approval, the hydrogen tanks have passed the UNECE R 134 regulation, and the towpreg-wound hydrogen tanks have now showcased the maturity of the project and production, meaning that the tanks have now reached the stage at which they are ready for serial production. So far, this next step has taken off very quickly and OEMs have already started integrating tanks into their trucks.

Voith Composites CEO, Anna Pointer, commented, “This certification is an important following an intensive development period. It recognises the hard work and expertise of our team in producing composites at scale for the automotive industry. Our emphasis on high-quality data is critical when ensuring absolute safety and consistency in manufacturing, which this certification demands.”