Author: tanya

Toyota has managed to cut the cost of making a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle by 90% in the past five years. “Our target is, we don’t lose money with introduction of the vehicle,” said Yoshihiko Masuda, Toyota’s managing director for advanced autos. In result the automaker plans to offer a $50,000 hydrogen-powered vehicle by 2015.

The hydrogen announcement from Toyota, which has had a nearly singular focus on hybrids, is the latest move in a high-stakes chess game regarding green auto technology.

Toyota  has cut hydrogen fuel cell costs by reducing platinum use to about one-third the previous level and finding cheaper ways to produce the thin film used in the fuel cells and the carbon-fiber hydrogen fuel tanks.

Some experts point to range and efficiency advantages that fuel cell cars have over gasoline or battery-powered vehicles. Nonetheless, high costs and lack of hydrogen refueling infrastructure remain major obstacles to affordable and practical fuel cell cars.

The battle for dominance regarding whiz-bang energy-efficient auto technology is getting more complicated everyday. At this point—at least while gasoline is still relatively cheap—it’s less about selling a lot of cars or profitability, and more about public perception.

The World Hydrogen Energy Conference 2010, that will be held from May 16-21, 2010 in Essen, Germany, is open for registration. The objective of the 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference is to promote hydrogen technologies and to identify scientific and strategic issues in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells giving answers based on the most advanced state of the art in science and engineering. Decision makers in politics, industry, research, and finance will be addressed in dedicated strategic sessions of the first conference day. Contributions from international experts will focus on the role and path of hydrogen in the energy economy. The major share of the programme is dedicated to the presentation of cutting-edge research and development on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The event,  organized by the the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), member of HyRaMP, will feature drive and rides, technical tours and a student’s day. For more information on the event and the call for papers please visit the WHEC 2010 website.

Local initiatives to integrate electric transport applications in urban transport systems are accelerating throughout Europe. Electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells require the development of a new sustainable refueling infrastructure that makes the most efficient  use of local primary energy sources including renewables. HyRaMP teamed up with the West Midlands in Europe office and the European Hydrogen Association, EHA to organise a seminar that included an update of activities in EU programmes on the development of both battery and fuel cell powered vehicles and infrastructures and presented local and regional initiatives that are already integrating both technologies into their public fleets. The event was part of the programme of the EU  Sustainable Energy Week (www.eusew.eu)

The seminar went very well with excellent speakers from the Commission and regional initiatives as well as the main EU programmes ERTRAC for electric battery car development (see roadmap at www.ertrac.org) the EIB and the JTI.

Please find all presentations given on the top of the page.

We are happy to present the third publication of the EHA/DWV series of strategy papers on the role of hydrogen as an energy carrier in a changing energy and climate landscape. The first paper dealt with the status of supply of different primary energy sources for hydrogen production, clearly indicating that renewable energy sources will be the most secure and sustainable source for future hydrogen production. The second paper demonstrated the role of hydrogen and fuel cells to facilitate large scale renewable energy deployment. This third paper explains the role of hydrogen in developing an intelligent and efficient infrastructure for electric mobility as we will need to gradually replace depleting fossil fuels with more renewable sources.

The vice president of DWV, the German hydrogen and fuel cell association, Andreas Ziolek, and EHA’s executive director Marieke Reijalt presented the third EHA/DWV strategy paper “Energy Infrastructure 21″ to Philippe Jean, responsible director for the new EU Clean and Energy Efficient Vehicles Strategy of DG Enterprise and Industry at the EHA/HyRaMP Electric Transport Infrastructure seminar in Brussels.
Local initiatives to integrate electric transport applications in urban transport systems are accelerating throughout Europe. Electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells require the development of a new sustainable refuelling infrastructure that makes the most efficient  use of local primary energy sources including renewables. The EHA, in collaboration with HyRaMP, the West Midlands in Europe office and with the support of ERTRAC and the Joint Undertaking for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, organised a seminar on March 23 presenting an update of activities in EU programmes that support the development of both battery and fuel cell powered vehicles and infrastructures. Presentations of  local and regional initiatives included insight in local activities that are already integrating both technologies into their public fleets. A panel of EU officials responsible for EU’s transport policy and industry experts addressed how to best coordinate and accelerate the creation of an efficient electric transport system. The EHA strategy paper can be dowloaded here.

The NHA Hydrogen Conference and Expo is the largest hydrogen conference in the U.S. and the longest running annual hydrogen conference in the world.

This event will be your best opportunity of the year to learn about breakthroughs, progress on commercialization challenges and network over a few days with the brightest minds and business leaders in the industry.

For more info, please visit www.hydrogenconference.org/

Local initiatives to integrate electric transport applications in urban transport systems are accelerating throughout Europe. Electric vehicles powered by batteries and fuel cells require the development of a new sustainable refuelling infrastructure that makes the most efficient  use of local primary energy sources including renewables. HyRaMP in collabroation with the European Hydrogen Association, EHA, the West Midlands in Europe office and with the support of ERTRAC and the Joint Undertaking for Hydrogen and Fuel cells organises a session that will give an update of activities in EU programmes that support the development of both battery and fuel cell powered vehicles and infrastructures. There will also be presentations of  local and regional initiatives that are already integrating both technologies into their public fleets. A panel of EU officials responsible for EU’s transport policy and industry experts will address how to best coordinate and accelerate the creation of an efficient electric transport system.

To register please send an email to [email protected] with your name organisation, email and tel. For more info visit the EUSEW website. Download the programme above

Solvay announces today it will invest over EUR 5 million in the construction of a test fuel cell with a total electric power of 1 megawatt (MW) at the SolVin plant in Lillo, Antwerp, Belgium. The investment is part of the Project Hydrogen Region Flanders – South Netherlands. The fuel cell will convert hydrogen produced by electrolysis at SolVin’s plant into electricity and by doing so increase the energy efficiency of the electrolysis. This Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell will demonstrate fuel cell technology can be scaled-up to a peak output of 1.7 MW and a generation of 1 MW at steady rate, by using Solvay’s innovative special polymers and SolviCore’s membrane electrode assemblies. The test fuel cell will also be used by WaterstofNet vzw for research and test programs to support and promote the development of the use of hydrogen in the region. More