What do you get when you throw a handful of competitive global car manufacturers in a windowless room for two days? If you thought unprecedented carnage coupled with disappointingly soggy sandwiches then I’m sorry as you’re far from the truth.
The car manufacturers in question are BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota and on your standard day they may be inclined to not share the knowledge that resides in the minds of their fuel cell engineers but not today! Through the flagship European-funded project HyFIVE (Hydrogen for Innovative Vehicles) these brands alongside refuelling station providers, a couple of energetic consultants and hydrogen buffs based at the Greater London Authority are working (very) hard to deliver 185 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) and 6 hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) across Europe in Copenhagen, London, Bolzano, Innsbruck, Munich and Stuttgart.
FCEVs use advanced technology to provide efficient, clean, and quiet mobility. Using hydrogen gas as a fuel for generating electric power, FCEVs produce no harmful tailpipe emissions, only water vapour. Commercialisation is our main focus and this is why FCEVs are a perfect option for zero-emission everyday cars. They offer a similar experience to petrol and diesel cars in the sense that their driving range is comparable (700km current record in a FCEV) and they can be refuelled within 3-5 minutes.
The project is funded by the Brussels-based Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking; without its deep, generous pockets we wouldn’t have got a challenging project like this off the ground back in 2014. The FCHJU is motivated to accelerate the market introduction of clean technologies in the energy and transport sectors.
Every 6 months we all meet in one of the host cities to share what we have each accomplished so far and look at what we can improve on but never forgetting to firmly pat ourselves on the back. This month we landed in Munich for two days of meetings, test drives of the project cars on BMW’s adrenaline-charged test track and visits to two of our HRS operated by Linde and TOTAL. This was a brilliant opportunity for everyone to understand the feel and capability of each other’s cars and the processes behind operating a HRS. This meeting was tied in with a project review led by two independent assessors. We’re waiting for their report but we have a pretty good feeling that our jobs aren’t in danger…
We are excited and committed to the work that we do considering that the project is highlighting the importance of cleaner air and moving Europe towards a low-carbon economy by decarbonising the transport network.
See the full article here: http://www.hyfive.eu/latest-news/hyfive-general-assembly-and-mid-term-review-5-7-april/