Hopium and Mota partner on seawater cooling for marine hydrogen
The hydrogen technology provider continues its diversification strategy by partnering with Marseille-based thermal exchanger specialist Mota.
The two companies are targeting an architecture combining fuel cell and direct seawater cooling for marine applications.
A memorandum of understanding for seawater cooling
Hopium and Mota announced on September 17, 2026, the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning a collaboration intended to develop a seawater cooling solution compatible with hydrogen fuel cell systems for marine applications.
The collaboration is based on the complementarity of the two companies: Mota brings its expertise in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of heat exchangers adapted to marine environments, while Hopium provides its expertise in hydrogen fuel cell systems, cooling circuit architecture, as well as its testing facilities and test data.
The approach selected notably relies on the use of a single exchanger where conventional architectures may require several, with the objective of reducing the number of components, system weight, cost, and facilitating its integration and maintenance on board.
A 300-hour test campaign on Hopium test bench
The first tests will be carried out on a functional demonstrator co-developed by Mota and Hopium, designed around a Hopium fuel cell system.
Testing on the Hopium test bench, for a target duration of 300 hours, aims to characterize the compatibility of Mota's exchanger technology with a hydrogen fuel cell system, specifically on ionic saturation issues, and to consolidate the jointly developed architecture.
This phase should make it possible to build on the technical feedback from both companies and prepare the adaptation of a solution to different power configurations.
First presentation at METSTRADE 2026
The collaboration is part of the diversification strategy undertaken by Hopium, which had also entered into exclusive negotiations in early September 2026 to acquire an industrial company in southern Europe valued between 10 and 15 million euros.
The results of the work and feedback from the validation campaign will help prepare the commercial opening of the technology to players in the hydrogen maritime market.
The technology developed jointly will be presented for the first time to the professional public at METSTRADE 2026, from November 17 to 19 in Amsterdam, where Hopium and Mota will exhibit their integrated architecture. Mota, based in Aubagne, employs more than 200 people for 45 million euros in annual turnover.
