Michelin back AEM electrolyser

Michelin backs AEM electrolysers to combine the best of PEM and alkaline technologies

Global tyre manufacturer Michelin will develop anion exchange membrane (AEM) electrolysers in a bid to combine “the best of both worlds” of PEM and alkaline electrolysis.

Under a new four-year partnership with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble Institute of Technology and Savoie Mont Blanc University, Michelin will participate in the development of AEM technology.

The partnership will be led by AlcalHylab, the tenth joint research laboratory between Michelin and the CNRS. Jacques Maddaluno, Director of CNRS Chemistry said it’s another “illustration of the mutual trust between [the] two institutions.”

Together, the partners aim to develop next-generation materials using abundant elements found in the Earth’s crust. Notably, AEM technology is valued for its elimination of precious metals in the electrolysis process.

Philippe Briand, President of Savoie Mont Blanc University, added, “Alongside our partners, we support the activities of the Electrochemistry and Physicochemistry of Materials and Interfaces Laboratory (LEPMI) for developing next-generation materials to be used in AEM water electrolysers.”

The hydrogen market is currently dominated by alkaline and PEM electrolyser technologies, although new solutions such as AEM and solid oxide electrolysis (SOEC) have emerged.

But these newer technologies remain immature, making investors hesitant to back unproven solutions.

This challenge was highlighted by Deepak Bawa in a recent H2 View webinar on electrolysis.

Discussing investor priorities, Splitwaters’ CEO stated, “If you’re an investor, you want to back a project with minimal technological risk. For anything above 100MW, clients prefer alkaline – and in some cases, PEM.”

However, Bawa noted that within three to five years, new technologies like AEM and SOEC could gain investor confidence as longer-term performance data provides clarity on degradation rates and efficiency.