Specification :

Ten years ago, the dream of a hydrogen economy, with hydrogen used to power vehicles and homes, was 10-20 years away. Ten years later and a hydrogen economy is still decades away. Despite advances in fuel-cell technology development and a raised awareness of the need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, barriers to a hydrogen economy remain – not least the lack of a viable hydrogen supply infrastructure and concerns over the well-to-wheel benefits of hydrogen. This month's briefing looks at how realistic a short-term adoption of auto hydrogen power is, reviewing what the key manufacturers are working on, Government policy and which markets might be closer to reality than we think.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Hydrogen versus batteries?
Vehicle manufacturers and hydrogen
Hydrogen and IC engines
Honda first to market with a hydrogen fuel cell-powered car
Daimler bullish on fuel cells
GM sees future for fuel cell-electric vehicles
Electric motor is prime mover for Volkswagen
PSA
Toyota
Renault and Nissan work together

Government policy developments – Europe, the US and Japan

FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership already brings partners together

California further ahead of the game?

Japan most ambitious?

Iceland dreams of hydrogen economy

Closer to reality?

List of figures

Figure 1: Hyundai claims first ‘all weather’ fuel-cell electric vehicle
Figure 2: Ricardo roadmap to mainstream low carbon transportation