Toyota partners with AMRC Cymru to drive hydrogen fuel cell advancements

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK has joined forces with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru to expedite the decarbonization and digitalization of the transport sector by optimizing hydrogen fuel cell assembly.

AMRC Cymru

Significant progress has been made on the Hydrogen Electric Propulsion Systems (HEPS) assembly testbed, located at AMRC Cymru in North Wales, since October 2022.

The HEPS project's primary goal is to facilitate the assembly and production scale-up of hydrogen fuel cells for the automotive, aerospace, and rail industries.

The first iteration of the HEPS testbed boasts a reconfigurable floor, collaborative robots, and other cutting-edge Industry 4.0 technologies, making it an ideal environment for developing and de-risking innovative fuel cell assembly methods.

Toyota and AMRC, part of the High Value Manufacturing (HVM) Catapult, will collaborate on a 12-month project in which Toyota will assemble its hydrogen fuel cells at the North Wales facility. The project, funded by the Welsh Government's Low Carbon Automotive Transformation Fund, focuses on enabling fuel cell manufacturing in the UK.

Lee Wheeler, Senior Engineer and Hydrogen/Future Propulsion Lead at AMRC Cymru, stated that the collaboration would combine Toyota's expertise in manufacturing systems and fuel cells with AMRC's knowledge of digital manufacturing, future propulsion, hydrogen, and sustainable manufacturing. The partnership aims to develop new and innovative solutions by challenging conventional thinking.

Toyota has actively participated in the industry steering board assembled by AMRC Cymru since its inception. The board guides the HEPS assembly testbed's work to ensure its relevance to industry needs and challenges. Recent developments include advanced gasket application equipment and a visual metrology system to address fuel cell stack leakages.

AMRC Cymru engineers have also explored laser part-marking for fuel cell components, which assigns a unique code to every component for identification and tracking purposes. Laser part-marking enables in-process verification and helps ensure in-built quality.

Stuart Dawson, Chief Engineer for Hydrogen at AMRC, expressed his enthusiasm for Toyota's collaboration with AMRC Cymru on the new HEPS assembly cell. He emphasized the need for UK hydrogen fuel cell manufacturers to develop globally competitive fuel cell assembly methods, which the HEPS cell will enable.

AMRC Cymru Research Director Andy Silcox envisions the HEPS testbed as a key capability for AMRC Cymru, garnering interest from businesses in Wales and northern England. The collaboration between AMRC's advanced manufacturing technology and Toyota's LEAN manufacturing culture aims to establish a benchmark for hydrogen propulsion system manufacturing, facilitating widespread adoption as a green fuel solution for surface transport beyond 2030.

The AMRC Cymru team will focus on de-risking, industrializing, and scaling up hydrogen fuel cell and electrolyser assembly by applying advanced manufacturing processes and capabilities in automation, digital, in-process verification, and design for manufacture. The ultimate goal is to manufacture and assemble fuel cell/electric powertrains in a cost-effective, standardized, and sustainable manner, supporting the UK transport sector's Net Zero ambition.