Impact Coatings AB (Sweden) and Hyundai Motor Company (South Korea) have signed a joint development agreement to collaborate in the development of coating technology for metal bipolar flow plates, a key component for hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles.
Impact Coatings is a leading supplier of PVD based fuel cell coating solutions, with a product offering consisting of coating materials, machinery, and services. Global automotive manufacturers and suppliers, as well as other companies active in the development of hydrogen-powered energy, rely on Impact Coating’s current innovation and expertise related to high-performance fuel cell plate coatings.
Hyundai is one of the world’s leading car manufacturers and is at the forefront of the development of fuel cell vehicles. The Group includes Kia Motors Corporation, Hyundai Mobis, and Hyundai Steel. Its commercial operations in the fuel cell vehicle segment include Hyundai NEXO SUV and, among other projects, the joint venture Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility in collaboration with H2 Energy (Switzerland), which includes a roll-out of 1,600 fuel cell-powered heavy trucks from 2019 to 2025.
The joint development agreement states that the companies shall:”… jointly research and develop new materials, processes and equipment for coatings to be applied to bipolar flow plates within a variety of applications, including fuel cells and / or hydrogen production.”
The agreement specifies, among other parameters, customary commercial conditions relating to the scope of work, exclusivity, treatment of intellectual property rights and sales support. With regard to exclusivity, technology developed jointly within the framework of the joint development agreement shall be exclusive to the two parties for a specified period of time. As part of the agreement, Impact Coatings will undertake to establish a physical presence in South Korea to accelerate the joint development initiative.
“This development agreement combines Impact Coating’s world-leading PVD coating expertise with Hyundai’s leadership in the automotive and fuel cell industry. We look forward to working with Hyundai to develop next-generation coating solutions and to establish presence in the important and strategically located South Korean market,” says Sandberg, CEO of Impact Coatings.
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