Wellbiotech Enters Hydrogen Fuel Cell Business with US Empower

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] Wellbiotech and Empower Innovation, a US advanced materials company specializing in core components of hydrogen fuel cells, have joined hands to explore entry into the domestic hydrogen fuel cell business.

Wellbiotech announced on the 29th that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Empower for hydrogen-based business cooperation. They will collaborate to expand related businesses such as the development and commercialization of hydrogen-based technologies and market development.

Empower, located in Silicon Valley, California, USA, is the first in the world to develop a solid-state membrane, a core component of high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (HT-PEM) hydrogen fuel cells used in various hydrogen-related fields such as hydrogen vehicles, marine, and ships. It is evaluated to build a value chain in the hydrogen fuel cell sector by improving product lifespan and performance. Empower is jointly developing next-generation hydrogen fuel cell technology with support from major automobile and aircraft companies.

According to Empower, HT-PEM can use low-purity, low-cost hydrogen and various fuels compared to Nafion-based hydrogen fuel cells that require high-purity hydrogen. It is more efficient in terms of conductivity, durability, and cost competitiveness.

If HT-PEM is commercialized in various fields, it is expected to replace the low-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane (LT-PEM) market based on existing Nafion. The HT-PEM membrane can reduce costs by lowering the amount of expensive platinum used as a catalyst.

An Empower official said, "Empower is preparing for a Nasdaq listing by the end of this year," and added, "This technology is expected to be widely used in various fields such as hydrogen vehicles, hydrogen fuel power generation, and drones after commercialization."

Wellbiotech is accelerating its electric vehicle (EV) charger business division. It launched an EV charger brand called ‘ev LUCY’ and opened permanent exhibition halls at its Seoul headquarters and Gunsan production plant in Jeonbuk earlier this year. It supplies 7kW slow chargers and 100kW fast charger models. Currently, the 200kW ultra-fast charger has completed development and is undergoing domestic certification procedures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.