OPmobility unveils its first Type 4 hydrogen tank in China
The first large-capacity Type IV hydrogen storage tank has been delivered by PO-Rein, the Franco-Chinese joint venture between OPmobility and Rein, a subsidiary of the Shenergy group.
“We are thrilled to announce a landmark achievement in our partnership with Shenergy Co., Ltd. : the unveiling of our first large hydrogen type IV tank at 700 bar in China!,” said Marc Perraudin, executive vice-president of OPMobility, on his LinkedIn account. This Type IV tank, consisting of a plastic inner liner surrounded by carbon fibre, is designed to equip an autonomous hydrogen-powered tramway, travelling at a top speed of 70 kph and with a capacity of more than 300 passengers.
It has been developed by the Franco-Chinese joint venture PO-Rein, a collaboration between French equipment manufacturer OPmobility and Rein Hytech, a supplier of hydrogen infrastructure and supply solutions and a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned energy company Shenergy Group.
Launched in June 2023, Po-Rein’s mission is to produce and market high-pressure hydrogen storage systems for the Chinese commercial vehicle market.
As part of this, a new mega-plant with an annual capacity of 60,000 high-pressure hydrogen tanks should be operational from 2026.
The future 28,000-square-metre plant is located in the Jiading Hydrogen Park, one of the country’s main hydrogen development hubs. It will boost Plastic Omnium’s production capacity in Shanghai, where the Group already has its first hydrogen tank production plant, which has been operational since 2024.
In May 2024, PO-Rein won a contract from Chinese railway manufacturer CRRC (China Railway Rolling Stock corp.) MRT Holding Group to deliver 76 Type 4 high-pressure storage systems (each system consists of four 175-litre hydrogen tanks). They are due to be delivered and put into service by the end of 2024. These systems will equip the autonomous trams that provide public transport in the city of Kuching, Malaysia. They can be refuelled in 10 minutes and travel 245 km.
Cover photo: OPmobility
