South Korea's Posco International aims to increase the production of fuel cell separators for electric vehicles (EV) to 10,000 tonnes by 2027, the company said on March 8.

The firm, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Posco SPS (Steel Processing & Service), currently produces 1,400 tonnes of Poss470FC, the stainless separator essential in utilising hydrogen as an energy source for fuel cell EVs (FCEV). The current volume covers around 35,000 FCEVs.

Poss470FC boasts a thinness of 0.1 millimetres, and it is produced in an “environmentally-friendly” way in the plating process, the company stressed.

The product is not just for cars, the company continued. It can be used for fuel cell-powered drones, robots and UAMs, it said.

The move comes as the parent POSCO Group, rooted in the iron and steel industry, accelerates its foray into future mobility, launching a steel auto parts brand Autopos.

Citing a report from McKinsey & Company, Posco stressed the importance of its auto parts. According to the report, the value of the global hydrogen economy is anticipated to reach 2.940 quadrillion won ($2.6 trillion) in 2050 and the number of FCEV passenger cars will reach 400 million, and 20 million for trucks and buses.

THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK