The Clean Energy Partnership: Hydrogen mobility conquers the roads

 

Autumn 2016


Hydrogen Mobility Conquers the Roads

By Claudia Fried, Clean Energy Partnership spokesperson, Berlin

A vision becomes reality: Europe’s largest demonstration project in the field of hydrogen mobility, the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), has further successes to report: in 2016, thanks to new models and a new car-sharing project, more hydrogen fuel cell vehicles than ever are on the road. The expansion of the H2 infrastructure by the partners also continues to progress under the project's new chairman Thomas Bystry.

After Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and Munich, more metropolitan areas will be opened up and connecting axes built. In a first stage, Germany's first 50 hydrogen filling stations are being built as part of the CEP. H2 filling stations recently opened in the south of the country in Ulm and Metzingen. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the network was expanded with a station in Wuppertal where largely standardised space-saving storage, compression and fuelling components were installed, which can be flexibly inserted in a basic filling station layout. This is a huge step forward that allows for investing in hydrogen pumps at smaller sites as well.

In spring 2017, Honda is expected to launch a new fuel-cell series model in Germany. The new 5-seater Clarity Fuel Cell is the Japanese car manufacturer's second hydrogen- and fuel-cell-powered sedan. Its competitor Daimler has also announced a new H2 series model in 2017: the new SUV GLC F-CELL, which has a battery that can be recharged by means of a plug. This gives it an additional range of 50 km beyond that of the fuel-cell stack. In Munich, the CEP partners Linde and Hyundai are launching the world's first car-sharing project with fuel-cell cars. "BeeZero" uses 50 Hyundai ix 35 Fuel Cell cars.

Since the beginning of the year, the Clean Energy Partnership has had a new chairman: Thomas Bystry from the Shell Hydrogen team succeeded Patrick Schnell of Total in this voluntary position. Bystry has participated in several CEP working groups, is a renowned expert in the field of hydrogen technology and is regarded as a staunch advocate and ambassador: "Hydrogen is the fuel of the future: very application- and customer-friendly in the mobility sector, and a very low-emission fuel," said Bystry.

Thanks to extensive research and development work and the high level of expertise within the partnership, the CEP has evolved from a demonstration project into a respected authority on the subject of fuel cells. Its expertise is also highly acclaimed in the international arena. In order to further their shared goal, the Clean Energy Partnership is in constant exchange with European Union-funded projects such as H2ME, HyFive and New IG and in May, for instance, reported on hydrogen mobility's potential for reducing CO2 emissions to the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn. Hydrogen can contribute significantly to the decarbonisation of the transport sector.


20 industry partners, technology, oil and energy companies and most of the world’s largest car manufacturers, as well as leading public transport operators are currently working under the umbrella of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) to establish hydrogen as a fuel. The CEP was established under the auspices of the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). It is coordinated by the National Organisation for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) and funded by the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme (NIP). The partnership focuses on the continuous operation of efficient hydrogen vehicles, quick and safe refuelling, and the sustainable production of hydrogen.


Contact details:
For more information visit www.cleanenergypartnership.de