EU-funded “INSPIRE project” started to further develop fuel cell technology in the automotive sector
SGL Group is responsible for the “gas diffusion layers” work package based on carbon fibers
Dr. Gerd Wingefeld, Chief Technology Officer of SGL Group: “Participation in” INSPIRE “underlines our claim to help shape developments in the megatrends of mobility and energy supply”
Wiesbaden, December 1, 2016. The SGL Group is a development partner of the INSPIRE project, which is funded by the EU with € 7 million and is scheduled to run for three years. The goal of INSPIRE is the development of a new generation of more durable high-performance fuel cells that will play a major role in the electromobility of the future. At the same time, this is intended to accelerate the commercialization of hydrogen-powered vehicles, which represent an alternative to automobiles with battery-based electric drives.

The SGL Group brings its many years of expertise as a component developer to the project and is responsible for the work package gas diffusion layers (GDL), which are manufactured on the basis of carbon fibers. The GDL enables a uniform gas supply to the catalyst, which is applied on both sides of the ion exchange membrane and converts hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into electrical energy and water.

Dr. Gerd Wingefeld, Chief Technology Officer of SGL Group: “The INSPIRE project with top-class partners from science and industry offers an excellent platform to promote the use of fuel cell technology with its innovative materials and components. For the SGL Group, it underlines our corporate aspiration to play a decisive role in shaping developments in the megatrends of mobility and energy supply. In addition to graphite anode material for lithium-ion batteries and carbon fiber composites for lightweight passenger cells, this also includes our gas diffusion layers for alternative hydrogen-based drive technologies. “