German technology company Voith has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with the Chinese Weifu Group, marking a significant step towards advancing hydrogen fuel cell systems. The agreement includes the establishment of two joint ventures, with a focus on hydrogen storage systems for mobility applications.
The joint ventures will collaborate on research, development, production, and application of hydrogen storage systems. One venture, Voith HySTech, based in Garching near Munich, Germany, will cater to the global market (excluding China), with Voith as the majority shareholder. This venture will concentrate on heavy-duty vehicle applications, offering a ready-to-install Plug & Drive H2 storage system.
The second joint venture, primarily for the Chinese market, will be majority-owned by Weifu Group. Voith considers Weifu an ideal partner due to its expertise in scaling automotive applications and supply chains, along with its significant presence in the Chinese market.
The partnership was facilitated by Bosch, a German company that has been collaborating with Weifu on hydrogen fuel cell development since early 2022. Bosch also holds strategic shares in Weifu.
Voith Group CEO, Toralf Haag, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, “Through the cooperation with the Weifu Group, we can jointly leverage the great potential of the hydrogen market. Both companies are pioneers in the field of hydrogen-powered systems for mobility applications and complement each other perfectly.”
Voith, a longstanding European family-owned company, was founded in 1867 during Germany’s Industrial Revolution. Weifu Group, established in 1958, initially focused on manufacturing fuel vehicle systems and has since aimed to become a leading supplier of core components for hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers. Voith noted that Weifu already has components for the hydrogen economy in its existing portfolio.
Voith emphasized the need for partnership to accelerate developments in the hydrogen sector, stating, “Due to the high market dynamics and the need for investment, a partnership is the logical next step for Voith to further accelerate developments in the field of hydrogen and to leverage the great market potential.”
