Hose Lines for Hydrogen-Fueled Vehicles

Safety Requirements for Hose Lines:

• Gas tightness
• Crash safety
• Long life

Range of Lines from ContiTech

ContiTech Fluid will supply up to twenty-one different safety hose lines for future hydrogen-fueled vehicles. These include:

• power-carrying lines with integrated stainless steel corrugated metal tubing
• cooling-water lines
• waste-steam lines

Future Technology - Hydrogen-Fueled Vehicles

Carmakers are busy at work developing vehicles that use alternative fuels. Together with mineral oil companies, they favor hydrogen fuel at present. Development work on the technologies needed for extracting, transporting and storing hydrogen is moving ahead at full steam. ContiTech Fluid is contributing to this massive effort and is currently developing, in collaboration with automakers, hoses and hose lines for the safe transport of hydrogen from the tank to the engine.

Future Technology - Zero Evap

In developing the hydrogen hose line the ContiTech Fluid team can benefit from the positive experience gain in the zero evap project. ContiTech is already a production supplier for a zero-emission vehicle (zero evap) on the US market. Zero evap vehicles must meet the requirement of zero emissions for all fuel lines. Since January 2003 state laws in many parts of the US mandate that ten percent of all new car registrations be for zero-evap vehicles. The car manufacturers' development departments are doing research in a number of different directions to ensure compliance with these regulations. ContiTech Fluid is also actively involved in the development of new products and has a hand in determining future trends. ContiTech Fluid came up with zero-emissions fuel lines for the BMW 3 series and regular production got under way on the US market in October 2002. In close cooperation with the BMW Group in Munich, engineers at hose specialist ContiTech Fluid were able to complete work on a new production-ready development in just a year and a half.

ContiTech Fluid's Zero-Evap Hose Line Offering

• Combination of components: stainless steel corrugated tubing (0.2 mm) and elastomer fuel hose. An external textile reinforcement can be adapted to meet the customer's specifications

Advantages and Properties of the Zero-Evap Lines

• Fatigue limit for vibration from engine and vehicle
• Virtually elimination of risk of line ripping off in event of collision
• Stable, nonpermeable hose line thanks to minimal expansion at different pressure levels
• Tight-by-design construction
• Special connection technology (ContiTech Fluid patent pending)

The zero-evap fuel lines are an innovation used in regular production of the BMW 3 Series E 46 model for the American market. It is only a question of time before the environmental statutes in Europe will follow suit. Other major automakers have thus signaled interest in the new hose line system from ContiTech Fluid. New developments are already in the pipeline.