(Kassel) – The Norwegian company Hexagon Purus ASA has opened a factory for hydrogen high-pressure cylinders in the Kassel-Niederzwehren industrial park. The new factory employs up to 300 skilled workers and can produce more than 40.000 Type 4 units annually. This variant usually consists of fiber composites with low weight. This makes the pressure vessel suitable as a storage device for mobile applications, such as fuel cell vehicles and infrastructure.
The current footprint of the production facility allows for further expansion as demand for storage applications increases. With the opening of the new factory, Hexagon Purus is relocating current production from its previous location in Kassel, which was shared with Hexagon Composites.
Already three new locations this year
This is the third opening of a new production facility for Hexagon Purus this year. Production of high-pressure vessels began in Westminster (Maryland, USA) in January. 150 people are employed there and the annual capacity is 10.000 cylinders for trucks and buses. According to the company, this facility can also be expanded.
New Hexagon Purus factory in Westminster, Maryland. © Hexagon Purus
Customers included the truck manufacturer Nikola, the heavy truck manufacturer Hino Motors, which belongs to Toyota, and the US bus manufacturer New Flyer. According to Executive Vice President Michael Kleschinski, Hexagon Purus also operates a research and development center at the location. The company is now relocating its current operations from Taneytown, Maryland, to Westminster. The Taneytown facility produces 1.200 cylinders annually and employs 50 people.
This was followed in April by the opening of a new development and production facility for battery and hydrogen storage systems in Kelowna, Canada. There, 150 employees will produce more than 1.000 battery systems for heavy commercial vehicles.
Vehicle integration in Texas
Just a few days ago, plans were announced for Hexagon Purus to develop a site in Dallas, Texas, for the assembly of battery-electric heavy-duty trucks for the US market, where battery systems from Kelowna will be installed. According to the company, the new facility will "significantly increase Hexagon Purus' vehicle integration capabilities" and enable the fulfillment of recently concluded contracts with Hino Motors and an unnamed "major North American OEM."
Hexagon Purus has signed a 10-year lease for the Dallas facility. The building has already been completed and series production of the vehicles is scheduled to start in the second half of 2024.
Photos
More than 40.000 Type 4 high-pressure hydrogen cylinders can be produced in Kassel every year. © Hexagon Purus
