Posco International aims to increase the production of fuel cell separators for electric vehicles to 10,000 tons by 2027, the company said Monday.

The firm, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Posco SPS (Steel Processing & Service), currently produces 1,400 tons of Poss470FC, the stainless separator essential in utilizing hydrogen as an energy source for fuel cell EVs. The current volume covers around 35,000 FCEVs.

Poss470FC boasts a thinness of 0.1 millimeters, and it is produced in an “environmentally-friendly” way in the plating process, the company stressed.

The product is not just for cars, the POSCO Group company continued. It can be used for fuel cell-powered drones, robots and UAMs, the company said.

The move comes as the parent POSCO Group, rooted in the iron and steel industry, accelerates its foray into future mobility, launching a steel auto parts brand Autopos.

Posco Group’s Technical Research Laboratories started research for the steel separator in 2006 and was able to develop and produce the ultra-high corrosion-resistant material Poss470FC in 2018.

Posco SPS is also producing automotive motor cores, which are used to generate electricity within a motor.

Citing a report from McKinsey & Company, Posco stressed the importance of its auto parts. According to the report, the value of the global hydrogen economy is anticipated to reach 2,940 trillion won ($2.6 trillion) in 2050 and the number of FCEV passenger cars will reach 400 million, and 20 million for trucks and buses.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)