Driving hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to market

An EU-funded project, with the support of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint undertaking (FCH JU), has installed hydrogen filling stations, tested prototype fuel cell vehicles and brought together car makers and infrastructure providers to push forward the commercial viability of this zero-emissions technology. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which manufacturers aim to make commercially available from 2018, offer zero-emissions transport and function much like an electric vehicle. However, fuel cell vehicles mu
July 19, 2017 Read time: 3 mins
An EU-funded project, with the support of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint undertaking (FCH JU), has installed hydrogen filling stations, tested prototype fuel cell vehicles and brought together car makers and infrastructure providers to push forward the commercial viability of this zero-emissions technology.


Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which manufacturers aim to make commercially available from 2018, offer zero-emissions transport and function much like an electric vehicle. However, fuel cell vehicles must be refuelled, which takes approximately three minutes, so having the necessary refuelling infrastructure in place is crucial to ensure that the technology is commercially viable and attractive.

“Infrastructure providers are nervous about demand for their stations and need assurance from vehicle manufacturers,” explains HYFIVE project coordinator Simona Webb from the Greater London Authority, UK. “Car manufacturers, on the other hand, need to know their vehicles will have a reliable and accessible network of stations to serve their customers. This is why the EU-funded HYFIVE project makes perfect sense; it brings both parties together addressing any teething issues now before commercialisation.”

The project has already made 185 hydrogen vehicles operational, along with six hydrogen refuelling stations. In addition, five global automotive companies leading the drive towards commercialisation, 1731 BMW, 2069 Daimler, 1683 Honda, 1684 Hyundai and 1686 Toyota, have deployed their latest fuel cell vehicle innovations.

The project is focusing on three regions: the UK’s London region; the Copenhagen region in Denmark; and a southern European region comprising parts of Germany, Austria and northern Italy. “There are a lot of hydrogen fuel cell technology developments in these regions with infrastructure already in place,” explains Webb. “Data gathered from all HYFIVE stations will be used to address any technical or logistical issues, and to better understand the impact of operating a refuelling station network managed by different suppliers.”

The project is also working with manufacturers to demonstrate that fuel cell vehicles meet and exceed technical and environmental expectations. Toyota has already deployed its vehicles to commercial customers outside of HYFIVE, and in London, one of Toyota’s fuel cell vehicles operates part of a commercial private taxi fleet.

It also plans to establish best practice in new equipment maintenance procedures, along with guidelines for training those working within dealerships and the spare parts supply chain, which it says are essential if the technology is to be commercially viable.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • New German cross-industry project to develop 5G vehicle applications
    November 22, 2016
    A new consortium, initiated by Ericsson in Germany, aims to create an infrastructure and real application environment on a motorway test track, to carry out tests in vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, digitisation of the railway infrastructure and other applications using 5G technology. The 30 kilometre test track consists of several construction sections on the 30 kilometre ‘digital test field motorway’ along the A9 motorway and the high speed rail track between Nuremberg and Greding. The in
    Read More
  • London debuts three more low-emission bus zones
    April 26, 2019
    Transport for London (TfL) and the city’s mayor Sadiq Khan have introduced three more low-emission bus zones (LEBZ) to help reduce toxic air in the UK capital. There are now 10 LEBZs in London, which are expected to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) by 90% along some of the capital’s most polluted roads. Buses operating within the zones meet the cleanest emissions standards and have been delivered through a combination of new and retrofitted vehicles, TfL says. The three new zones in Lewisham, Stratford and
    Read More
  • Mobilising data for the future of urban transport
    August 8, 2018
    It's not just gathering the data that's important, says Johan Herrlin - it's making sure that transport organisations share it with one another that will determine travellers' satisfaction. Data is transforming the way we move around cities, from family car journeys to the daily train commute. Gone are the days when travelling from A to B meant remembering your AA map and having to ask for directions at regular intervals. If you were trying to navigate London as a tourist a mere decade ago, it required
    Read More
  • 'Conservatism hampering ITS technical evolution'
    November 13, 2012
    Nick Lanigan, managing director of Clearview Traffic, considers the current outlook in the ITS sector from an SME's perspective. Interview with Jason Barnes. When times are hard, businesses can invest or cut. Either way, they need guidance from customers – governments – on where best to concentrate their efforts. Prolonged economic slowdown is currently an issue. A short recession, however sharp, would have left many industry players able to ride the bow-wave of governments’ multi-year spending on strategic
    Read More

Highlighted Content