Automotive Fuel Cell System Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecast (2021 - 2026)

Market Overview

The automotive fuel cell system market was valued at around USD 2 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 10 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 40.63% during the forecast period.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has not impacted the market as severely as it had impacted the other automotive segments. The demand experienced a decline during the lockdown, but it is expected that the market will gain momentum in 2021 and that the high growth will continue during the forecast period.

The automotive fuel cell market is a revolutionary development that reduces the cost of infrastructure and other resources. The fuel cells use either hydrogen or methane as the primary energy provider. Both these fuel cells are cleaner sources of fuel compared to the conventional lithium-ion battery cells.

Eight of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers have plans to commercialize fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) by 2025. With the recent Volkswagen emissions scandal, China has made efforts to promote fuel cell technology in automobiles.

Various companies are coming together to work together in fuel cell technologies. In March 2021, Toyota teamed up with Hino Motors for heavy-duty fuel cell trucks. Under this, Hino’s Profia truck will be featuring Toyota’s polymer electrolyte fuel-cell stacks.

Scope of the Report

The automotive fuel cell system market is segmented by electrolyte type (polymer electronic membrane fuel cell, direct methanol fuel cell, alkaline fuel cell, and phosphoric acid fuel cell), vehicle type (passenger cars and commercial vehicles), fuel type (hydrogen and methanol), power output (below 100 KW, 100 to 200 KW, and above 200 KW), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, and Middle-East and Africa). The report offers the market size and forecasts for automotive fuel cell systems in value (USD billion) for all the above segments.

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Key Market Trends

Rising Adoption of Fuel Cell Systems in Commercial Vehicles

With the growing environmental concerns, many governments and environmental agencies are enacting stringent emission norms and laws, which are expected to increase the manufacturing cost of fuel-efficient diesel engines in the coming years. As a result, the new commercial vehicle diesel engines segment is expected to register a sluggish growth rate during the short term.

Additionally, conventional fossil fuel-powered commercial vehicles, especially trucks and buses, are responsible for increasing transportation emissions. The advent of fuel cell commercial vehicles, which are considered low- or zero-emission vehicles, is anticipated to reduce the vehicular emissions from heavy commercial vehicles.

The focus on green energy mobility by government bodies worldwide to curtail and curb transportation pollution is projected to drive the fuel cell commercial vehicle market in the near future. For instance:

• In June 2021, a local governing body in London launched a fleet of hydrogen fuel-based double-decker buses in the public transport fleet in the city to reduce vehicular emissions.
• In April 2020, India's largest power producer and a central PSU under the Ministry of Power, NTPC Ltd, invited a global expression of interest to provide ten hydrogen fuel cell-based electric buses and an equal number of hydrogen fuel cell-based electric cars in Leh and Delhi.
• In November 2019, Beiqi Foton Motor, a Chinese government-backed truck and bus manufacturer, announced that it would invest USD 2.6 billion in alternate energy vehicles, including fuel cell engines. The company plans to deploy 200,000 new-energy commercial vehicles by 2025.

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