Voith founds new company for hydrogen storage systems
The Voith Plug & Drive storage system for hydrogen on the back of the driver’s cab of a tractor unit
The Voith Group, Germany has founded Voith HySTech GmbH at the Garching site (Germany). With the new company, Voith is strengthening its position in the growing market for hydrogen technologies and is focusing on hydrogen storage systems for heavy-duty vehicles. “With the founding of Voith HySTech GmbH, we can serve the growing customer requirements in a targeted manner and leverage the existing growth potential in the hydrogen sector with our broad expertise,” says Dr. Toralf Haag, CEO of Voith.
As an expert in carbon composites combined with more than ten years of experience in industry and the automotive sector, Voith has a broad knowledge of hydrogen tank systems. On this basis, Voith has developed a ready-to-install Plug & Drive H2 storage system for heavy-duty vehicles. Since December 2023, the 700 bar hydrogen tanks integrated into it has been approved for on-road use required for marketing in Europe. Through the new company, Voith is pooling the know-how of both sectors to fully exploit the possibilities of hydrogen technology and contribute to the decarbonization of heavy-duty transport.
The Voith Group is a global technology company. With its broad portfolio of systems, products, services and digital applications, Voith sets standards in the markets of energy, paper, raw materials and transport & automotive. Founded in 1867, the company today has around 22,000 employees, sales of € 5.5 billion and locations in over 60 countries worldwide and is thus one of the larger family-owned companies in Europe.
Positive mood despite difficult market environment
The 17th World Pultrusion Conference (WPC) took place from February 29 to March 1, 2024 with a record number of participants. This year, almost 150 participants took the opportunity to network in an impressive setting and learn about the latest developments and innovations in 25 specialist presentations.
The conference takes place every two years in different European countries and is the most important event of its kind in Europe. The WPC is organized by the AVK for the European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA) in cooperation with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA).
At the end of the event, all participants agreed that the visit to Hamburg was worthwhile – not only because of the special charm, but also because of the positive mood within the pultrusion industry. Driven by innovation and against the backdrop of a difficult environment, the industry sees itself well positioned for the future, as do composites in general. Sustainable, durable, open to innovation and very personal: this is how the industry presented itself in Hamburg. We look forward to organizing the 18th WPC in two years’ time and meeting new friends and old acquaintances.