Seed money provided in the coming years could make the electric vehicle industry in Germany and elsewhere economically self-supporting from 2018 onwards, says the National Electric Mobility Platform. From that time on, additional tax revenues would exceed the start-up money provided by government sources, according to an expert report submitted to the Federal Government on 16 May.
The goal of getting one million electric vehicles onto German roads by 2020 is moving into the realm of the feasible with the new government programme for e-mobility. This programme will form part of the discussions surrounding mobility for the future at H2Expo in Hamburg – a forum for intensive know-how transfer, dialogue and networking in these areas being held on 8 and 9 June in Hamburg, the European Green Capital 2011.
Not just cars, but planes and ships too
The event will be attended by around 70 speakers from 11 countries discussing the latest status of research, development and applications and presenting their projects. Other subjects alongside electric drives include aviation, shipping and infrastructure. The industry presents its market specific products and services at the exhibition. The “Ride&Drive” section enables visitors to see and in some cases to test-drive electric vehicles with various types of drive.
“We are currently witnessing the second invention of the automobile,” says Dr. Christian Mohrdieck, Head of Fuel Cell and Battery Development at the Group Research and Basic Development Centre of Daimler AG. “Never before has the technology changed so fast, and never before have we seen such leaps in efficiency.”
Mohrdieck will explain his company’s strategic approach in this area in more detail at the conference. “By 2015 at the latest, fuel cell technology will be fully ready for the market in this country. Then we would be able to put several hundred thousand vehicles in different series on the roads.”
For example, plans are in progress for a saloon car with fuel cell drive, to enlarge the portfolio of locally emission-free vehicles. And he added that infrastructure would be needed by that time, to make electric vehicles a practical option for everyday use. “So now is the time to step on the gas and systematically expand the hydrogen fuel station network.”
Initiatives such as the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP), which is Europe’s largest hydrogen mobility demonstration project, are intended to prove the system capability of the technologies.
“The CEP has moved into its third and final project phase this year. It has already achieved many important results – for example improvement of cold-start capability of FC systems, extension of vehicle ranges, simplification of hydrogen fuelling, and improvement in storage technology – market preparation is now the focus,” explains Patrick Schnell, Head of Network Development at Total Germany and Chairman of CEP, who will address this subject at the conference.
The joint goal of the 13 industry partners is to improve the vehicles in terms of efficiency, performance and reliability, to expand the hydrogen fuel station network, and to move forward with the production and distribution of “green” hydrogen. “Nearly half the hydrogen at CEP fuel stations already comes from renewable resources today.”
Hamburg has been committed since 2003 to zero-emission, innovative hydrogen drives. The hydrogen buses which the public transport company Hochbahn purchased at the time launched the movement for a whole range of vehicle and infrastructure projects, such as Europe’s largest hydrogen fuel station, located in the HafenCity district of Hamburg. Electric vehicles are operated using both of the available technologies, that is fuel cells and batteries. There are more than 100 battery powered cars currently in the fleets of Hamburg companies.
“Hamburg is one of the eight German model regions for electric vehicles, and is concentrating mainly on commercial transport, which gives the greatest growth potential for electric drives in the mid-term future,” says Heinrich Klingenberg, Managing Director of hySOLUTIONS GmbH, which coordinates the activities on behalf of the City of Hamburg. The next generation of hydrogen buses will be arriving in Hamburg in June, which shows that the growth process has already started.
California: the benchmark
California is regarded as the front runner in terms of testing of fuel cell (FC) vehicles and building of hydrogen fuel station infrastructure. According to the latest industry survey by the California Fuel Cell Partnership, more than 50,000 FC-powered vehicles are expected on the roads of California by 2017.
Results from field tests will be presented at H2Expo in Hamburg by Dr. Jack Brouwer, University of California, who is Associate Director at the National Fuel Cell Research Center. He notes that FC vehicles have now achieved a high level of technical development, “with short refuelling times, range of more than 300 miles (483 km) per tank filling, and efficiency of more than 60 miles per kilogram of hydrogen.” In terms of handling characteristics and acceleration, FC vehicles are in no way inferior to their internal combustion engine competitors – they have remarkable characteristics, unmatched by any other zero-emission vehicle technology.” Together with battery powered vehicles, FC cars are “the right choice for the future”.
The international perspective will play a major role at the conference. For example Dr. Etsuo Akiba, Professor at the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, reports on developments in FC and electric vehicles in the Asia Pacific Region. Yoichi Hasegawa and Bernhard Grünewald will explain Toyota’s strategy in FC and electric drives. The “Ride&Drive” section will include the latest Toyota FC hybrid vehicle, the FCHV-adv, and the B-class F-CELL from Mercedes-Benz, presented by the Hamburg outlet, and the Suzuki Burgman FC scooter. Battery vehicles will also be there – for example, the A-class E-CELL from Mercedes-Benz and the Vito E‑CELL, the first electric motor powered transporter available ex-works from an automotive manufacturer.
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