Kawasaki, Symbio partner to deliver low-carbon construction machines

Symbio H2Motive StackPack fuel cell range can deliver between 40kW and 300kW (Photo: Symbio)

Kawasaki and Symbio have signed a memorandum of understanding covering joint development of fuel cell systems for various industry sectors, including construction machinery.

The plan is to combine the high-pressure gaseous hydrogen valve knowledge of Kawasaki with expertise from Symbio covering development and manufacture of hydrogen fuel cells.

Leveraging the construction machine market knowledge of Kawasaki, the goal will be to develop and market construction machines which offer efficient, low-carbon power systems.

Hydraulic components produced by Kawasaki have been used by various construction machine OEMs since the company produced its first excavator in the 1960s. Mass production of high-pressure hydrogen gas valves for fuel cell-powered vehicles are now delivered to a series of passenger vehicle manufacturers.

Hydrogen supply portion of the Kawasaki KHI fuel cell system (Photo: Kawasaki)

Based in France, Symbio has been working on development of fuel cells for more than 30 years. The company is backed by a series of automotive OEMs, including Stellantis, together with Tier suppliers Forvia, Hella and Michelin.

In December 2023, the company announced that it had inaugurated its SymphonHy plant in Saint-Fons, France. Part of the €1 billion HyMotive program, the site is anticipated to reach annual production of 50,000 fuel cells by 2026.