As a core implementation of Foton Motor’s hydrogen energy strategy, the Foton Cavin Hydrogen Power System Factory, which integrates the production and manufacturing of hydrogen fuel engines, electric drive axles, hydrogen storage systems and other products, deeply undertakes Foton Motor’s hydrogen energy technical advantage resources, links with international advanced hydrogen equipment production and manufacturing processes, has fully independent and full-process manufacturing capabilities, and was officially put into operation in Beijing on May 30. This marks that Foton Motor’s full industrial chain layout in the field of hydrogen energy commercial vehicles has entered a new stage – relying on Foton Motor’s years of technical accumulation and global resource integration capabilities, the Foton Cavan Hydrogen Power System Factory will become the core “hydrogen” driving force leading the fields of commercial vehicle hydrogen fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage technology.
Smart Factory, Leading Green Intelligent Manufacturing
The commissioning of Foton Cavin Hydrogen Power System Factory is a vivid practice of Foton Motor’s strategy of “full electrification, full internationalization, and full intelligence”. By integrating Foton Motor’s core technologies in the hydrogen fuel field, Foton Cavan Hydrogen Power System Factory has built three professional production lines: the hydrogen fuel cell engine production line realizes the integration of production, assembly and testing of hydrogen fuel cell engines; the heavy-duty electric drive axle production line integrates assembly lines, testing lines, and gearbox assembly lines; the vehicle hydrogen storage system production line covers the needs of medium and heavy truck series models. Among them, the 300kW hydrogen fuel cell engine production line uses tightening electric guns in all process assembly and airtight testing links, and is matched with a visual operating system and a smart logistics AGV distribution system to build an efficient and intelligent manufacturing system.
The factory deeply integrates advanced manufacturing processes, equipment and implementations with digital technologies such as the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence to build a highly digital and intelligent production system. Centering on the core of intelligent and automated production concepts, the hydrogen power system factory plans and constructs smart logistics solutions, and realizes efficient circulation of production materials through smart logistics methods of unmanned goods-to-person picking, storage, and distribution.
In the application of intelligent manufacturing technologies, the factory connects intelligent design and order data transmission, intelligent production scheduling, intelligent warehousing and logistics, human-machine collaboration, factory dynamic monitoring and early warning, energy consumption monitoring and other process links through the application of data-driven middle platforms and industrial Internet technologies. This practice of running digital technology through the entire production chain forms the factory’s overall green and intelligent operation model, which not only achieves the cutting-edge digital intelligence level and green manufacturing standards in the hydrogen energy industry, but also commits to creating a benchmark for zero-carbon intelligent logistics factories.
Technical Breakthroughs, Driving the Leap of the Hydrogen Energy Industry
As an enterprise that deployed hydrogen fuel commercial vehicles earlier in China, Foton Motor has promoted and applied more than 3,200 hydrogen fuel commercial vehicles on a large scale, with an operating mileage of over 120 million kilometers, and has served international and national events such as the Olympic Games and the Centennial of the Founding of the Communist Party of China for many times. As a leader in hydrogen energy commercial vehicles, Foton Cavan Automobile drives the landing of hydrogen energy technologies through scientific and technological innovation, deeply links with relevant universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises in the industry, and has made breakthroughs in key technologies such as low-energy-consumption liquid hydrogen production, low-temperature heat insulation and sealed storage and transportation, direct and rapid liquid hydrogen refueling, low-evaporation-rate vehicle hydrogen storage, and long-range and low-hydrogen-consumption liquid hydrogen heavy trucks, continuously promoting the improvement of the “production-storage-refueling-application” liquid hydrogen industry chain.
In terms of hydrogen fuel cell engines, Foton Cavan Automobile has mastered eight core technologies of fuel cell engines. The commercial vehicle industry adopts a “high-power, high-efficiency, long-life” metal plate self-humidifying hydrogen fuel cell system, among which the powerful power output performance of up to 300kW and the wide-range variable load capacity of up to 70kW/s can cover the needs of most heavy truck long-distance trunk operation scenarios in China. At present, Foton Cavan Automobile has built a product matrix of hydrogen fuel cell systems with different power segments such as 80kW, 134kW, 190kW, and 300kW, with a planned annual production capacity of 5,000 units, fully covering the application scenarios of different models such as heavy trucks and light trucks.
In the future, Foton Motor will take the commissioning of the hydrogen power system factory as a new starting point, deeply integrate into the overall situation of the national energy transformation and green transportation revolution, continue to optimize the reliability of fuel cell systems, strengthen hydrogen industry chain cooperation, and promote the industrialization and commercialization of hydrogen energy applications. The commissioning of this hydrogen power system factory is an important node in Foton Motor’s green and high-quality development, and a solid step leading the commercial vehicle industry towards the “hydrogen era”. Foton Motor is reconfiguring the commercial vehicle industry pattern with “hydrogen” driving force and leading the industry towards a zero-carbon new era.
