Enlarge / Anode and cathode “inks” are utilized to carbon-fiber paper. (credit score: GM/Honda)
BROWNSTOWN, Mich.—Immediately, a three way partnership between Normal Motors and Honda Motor Firm, named Gasoline Cell System Manufacturing LLC (FCSM LLC), formally began producing its one and solely product—a gas cell system—on a business scale. FCSM formally started in January of 2017 with an preliminary funding between GM and Honda of $85,000,000. Now, the 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m2) facility in Brownstown, Michigan, homes 80 staff and sufficient robots, clear rooms, and all kinds of high-tech tools to make Ironman blush.
FCSM managing to construct gas cells shortly, reliably, and cheaply is what’s new right here, not the gas cells themselves. And, in accordance with Tetsuo Suzuki, vp of FCSM LLC, that proved the largest problem. “Our gas cell system consists of greater than 300 particular person cells [307 in total], every cell consists of very costly supplies. If there’s a defect in even one cell, your entire stack can be unusable,” Suzuki stated. “Due to this fact, we designed all of our mass manufacturing processes with a zero-defect mindset.” Including, “We launched high quality management into each course of.”
That is the meeting line. (credit score: GM/Honda)
Easy methods to construct a gas cell
Extra particularly, every cell consists of a number of components, beginning with two totally different liquids that FCSM calls “inks.” One ink kinds an anode, the opposite, a cathode. FCSM then pours every liquid onto a carbon-fiber paper, which it then heats to dry. It then exactly cuts these two totally different papers into form and bonds them collectively to type what it calls a unitized electrode meeting, or UEA; the cathode on one facet, the anode on the opposite. Each of the anode and cathode sheets are black, however the cathode sheet is gloss, and the anode sheet is matte.
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