Hybari name was adopted to evoke an image of an advanced hybrid railway vehicle equipped with fuel cells and a main circuit storage battery. “HY” represents “hydrogen,” while “HYB” means “hybrid.”
East Japan Railway Company (“JR East”), Hitachi, Ltd., and Toyota Motor Corporation have entered into an agreement to collaborate on development of test railway vehicles equipped with hybrid systems that use hydrogen powered fuel cells and storage batteries as their source of electricity. “By collaborating to develop these test railway vehicles, we aim to further improve the environmental superiority of railways and realize a sustainable society,” the companies said this morning in Japan.
The development of innovative rolling stock powered by hydrogen in theory will contribute to the development of a low-carbon society as it helps to curb global warming and diversify energy sources. Hydrogen ensures minimal environmental impact because it does not emit any carbon dioxide when used as an energy source. It can be produced from various raw materials using renewable energy.
Combining their railway and automotive technologies, – JR East’s railway vehicle design and manufacturing technologies. Hitachi’s railway hybrid drive system technologies developed with JR East, and Toyota’s technologies acquired through development of the Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle and the SORA fuel cell bus – the three companies will adapt the fuel cells used in automobiles for railway applications. Toyota will develop the fuel cell and Hitachi will develop the hybrid drive system.
The hydrogen used to fill the hydrogen tank is supplied to the fuel cell and undergoes a chemical reaction with oxygen in the air to generate electricity. The main circuit storage battery is charged by electric power from the fuel cell device and by capturing and converting energy to electric power using regenerative braking. The hybrid drive system supplies the electric power to the traction motors from both the fuel cell and the main circuit storage battery, controlling the movement of the wheels.
Together, they will create hybrid (fuel cell) test vehicles with the aim of achieving the high-power output control necessary to drive railway vehicles, which are much larger than automobiles. The Hybari name was adopted to evoke an image of an advanced hybrid railway vehicle equipped with fuel cells and a main circuit storage battery that will generate innovation. “HY” represents “hydrogen,” while “HYB” means “hybrid.”
CATL and Honda Sign Agreement to Form Comprehensive Strategic Alliance on Batteries for New Energy Vehicles
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) and Honda have signed an agreement to form an alliance on new energy vehicle batteries to strengthen their strategic partnership and promote the popularization of electrified vehicles. This agreement will enable the two companies to begin discussions on a broad range of areas including joint development, stable supply, and the recycling and reuse of batteries.
By bringing together the two companies’ individual technology advantages, CATL and Honda will conduct joint development on NEVs batteries and joint R&D into fundamental technologies, aiming for their future application. CATL will provide stable supply of NEV batteries to Honda, mainly for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The first model equipped with a CATL battery is scheduled to be launched in the Chinese market in 2022. This alliance will be further expanded to the global level in the future. Moreover, battery recycling and reuse also will be a topic in further discussions between CATL and Honda.
Honda has acquired approximately 1% of CATL shares through the non-public issuance of stocks, which makes Honda a leading strategic partner of CATL. This will enable Honda to secure a stable supply of batteries with excellent product and cost competitiveness. Through the non-public issuance of stocks, CATL will strengthen its battery development and further expand production capacity, etc. Based on this alliance, the two companies will strengthen initiatives to further popularize electrified vehicles and establish a long-term relationship.
“This alliance enables Honda to further strengthen its partnership with CATL. As the speed of electrification continues to increase, CATL will be a partner that will give Honda new strength, and we believe that our long-term alliance will enable Honda to further increase the competitiveness of our electrified products. Honda will continue its challenges toward offering joy and freedom of mobility and the realization of a sustainable society,” said Toshihiro Mibe, Senior Managing Officer, Executive in Charge of Monozukuri (Research & Development, Production, Purchasing, Quality, Parts, Service, Intellectual Property, Standardization and IT.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) develops and makes lithium-ion batteries, with businesses covering R&D, manufacturing and sales in battery systems for new energy vehicles and energy storage systems. In 2019, the company’s EV battery sales volume reached 40.25 GWh worldwide, and making it the world leader in annual EV battery consumption volume (source SNE Research). Headquartered in Ningde, China, CATL has more than 26,000 employees around the world as of 2019 and subsidiaries in Beijing, Liyang (Jiangsu Province), Xining (Qinghai Province) and Yibin (Sichuan Province), as well as in Munich (Germany), Paris (France), Yokohama (Japan), Detroit (USA) and Vancouver (Canada). In addition, the company owns and operates battery manufacturing facilities in Fujian, Jiangsu, Qinghai and Sichuan provinces, and in its European plant located in Erfurt, Germany, its first overseas plant that is currently under construction. In June 2018, the company went public on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange with stock code 300750.