[Jonathan Fry] European Hydrogen Infrastructure Outlined

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Jon Fry

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Sep 30, 2006, 12:14:50 AM9/30/06

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This article has been writen by Jonathan Fry exclusively for auto4you.co.uk.

Despite the daily announcements from individual organisations detailing technological advancements in fuel cell technology, it’s been commonly known for some time that there’s an insufficient supply of hydrogen on the world market to power this up and coming green revolution.

There’s also increasing concern that precious time is being lost because major players in the market are not working together which is wasting research and development (R&D) opportunities and slowing the overall development cycle of a technology which could reduce, if not eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels in the future.

Following an announcement today (29th September, 2006) the situation is set to improve as energy companies Shell Hydrogen B.V. and Total France, together with the vehicle manufacturers BMW Group, DaimlerChrysler AG, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Europe AG, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG and Volkswagen AG announce their joint approach to advance hydrogen as a fuel for road transport in Europe.

Hydrogen and fuel cell technology will bring significant change in the way the world produces and uses energy. While the public and private sectors already agreed that so-called Lighthouse Projects, integrating all aspects of hydrogen production, distribution and use, are the necessary next step, the group of energy companies and vehicle manufacturers believe that now is the time to move forward. In a common position paper, the companies have defined a near and mid term action plan to pave the way for the introduction of hydrogen-based mobility in Europe.

Quite clearly there is an intrinsic link between the companies producing hydrogen, those distributing it and vehicle manufacturers who develop the fuel cells to use it. Together, these companies are convinced that a joint approach will advance the development of the technology required for future commercially available hydrogen vehicles including the corresponding refuelling infrastructure whilst reducing overall R&D costs for each member of the partnership.

Each company continues to pursue its own specific timelines but the group has commonly identified key phases over the next decade, comprising continuous technology development and cost reduction, pre-commercial technology refinement and market preparation, with commercialisation of hydrogen powered vehicles potentially starting around 2015.

The companies have identified a number of criteria for the implementation of Lighthouse Projects in Europe. A key priority moving forward is to concentrate efforts on a focused region for passenger cars, leveraging all resources in order to maximize learning. Based on these requirements, the group sees these Lighthouse Projects initially rolling out in Berlin for cars and city buses, and in additional selected cities and regions for city buses. All lessons learned will be shared across all regions, as will continuing education and outreach.

Implementing next steps requires contributions from all public and private stakeholders involved in hydrogen and fuel cell technology.

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