Schaeffler pivots hydrogen focus to China as European ambitions stall
Source：h2-view
Automotive technology supplier Schaeffler AG has pulled back its hydrogen ambitions in Europe and shifted its focus to China.
CEO Klaus Rosenfeld confirmed the decision last week, after hydrogen was put through the company’s portfolio management test: if a business area fails to deliver after three years, it risks being exited.
“Years ago, everyone was super optimistic about hydrogen,” Rosenfeld said. “We have decided that we’re not going to further invest in this. We’re going to bring it to China, where the prospects are much better.”
Schaeffler had invested in developing hydrogen technologies in Europe, such as fuel cell components like bipolar plates. Schaeffler also worked on in-house PEM fuel cell stacks, mainly for mobility applications.
They now plan to repurpose those technologies in China, where demand, policy, and market prospects are stronger.
Rather than writing off the investment, Rosenfeld said they will “make the best out of it.”
In January, the company launched Schaeffler Hydrogen Technologies, a Shanghai-based subsidiary dedicated to PEM and AEM electrolysis stack development and production, after it signed a framework agreement with the local government.
Schaeffler previously said the new subsidiary will be “deeply integrated” into China’s supply chain system.
Other hydrogen technology suppliers are also rebalancing portfolios towards China.
Westport Fuel Systems, for example, plans to open a hydrogen innovation and manufacturing centre in Shanghai later this year, citing strong government-backed deployment there compared with a “pause” in Europe and North America.
Many analysts suggest Western hydrogen ambitions are being outpaced by China’s more coordinated, state-backed strategy – one focused on decarbonisation and clean energy dominance.