Two years after its establishment as a South African hydrogen fuel cell component supplier, HyPlat has made rapid inroads into the global fuel cell market following the launch of its locally owned and developed intellectual property and technology offerings at the Hannover Fair in 2016.
The group, which provides platinum group metal catalysts and custom and standardised three-, five- and seven-layer membrane electrode assembly components, besides others, is targeting the stationary market for primary and back-up applications, along with range extenders for electric vehicles and buses in the automotive market.
“We have made some significant progress in early market entry over the past year. HyPlat’s distinctive competitive advantage lies in its ability to address the market’s pain point of fully customised components at cost competitive prices with rapid turnaround times,” said HyPlat CEO Dr Sharon Blair in a statement this week.
Now the group aims to replicate its global commercialisation successes at the upcoming Hannover Fair, in Germany, in April, as it embarks on plans to embed itself within one of the Department of Trade and Industry’s planned special economic zones for fuel cell activities.
“HyPlat is exposed to over 20% of the low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell industry with products shipped to Europe and North America already. The fuel cell market for components up to the stack is estimated to grow to $2.1-billion by 2020 with a compound annual growth rate of 29%,” HyPlat explained.
The group will also be positioned to service the electrolyser market by the 2018/19 financial year.
The technology was developed at the University of Cape Town and Mintek, co-hosted by Hydrogen South Africa Catalysis, which is a flagship programme of the Department of Science and Technology.