GM EUROPE

European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform

In 2002, the European Commission formed an EU High Level Group on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, which by summer 2003 released its report “Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cells – A Vision of Our Future.”

As a direct consequence of the report, the EU Commission launched the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform (HFP). The main goal of the HFP is to facilitate and accelerate the development and deployment of cost-competitive, world class European hydrogen and fuel cell based energy systems and component technologies for applications in transport, stationary, and portable power. GM Fuel Cell Activities is actively engaged in HFP and contributes to various working groups.

In 2005, the HFP published a number of strategic documents: Strategic Overview, Strategic Research Agenda, Deployment Strategy, and Deployment Strategy Progress Report 2005. Based on these documents, an Implementation Action Plan for Applied R&D and Demonstration Actions was issued. This document will serve as the basis for public-private activities on hydrogen and fuel cells conducted under the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development, lasting from 2007 to 2013.

A complementary activity was launched by the German government in 2006. The 10-year National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme aims at promoting hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the areas of research, development, and demonstration towards market introduction of these technologies. The level of government funding for this program will be 500 million Euros.

Clean Energy Partnership Berlin (Germany)

The HydroGen3 is driven on public roads in Germany as part of Clean Energy Partnership Berlin (CEP), a public-private partnership, supported by the German government. Since the end of 2004, CEP runs a demonstration project in Berlin with the aim of proving the everyday suitability of hydrogen for transportation purposes. Different methods of hydrogen production are demonstrated and hydrogen technologies for vehicles are further developed towards series production. As far as possible, the hydrogen used in the project is produced from renewable energy sources such as hydroelectric and wind power.

Two public hydrogen filling stations have been built in Berlin. Gaseous hydrogen is produced on site via electrolysis or reforming of LPG and stored in compressed form, while super-cooled liquid hydrogen is delivered by truck and stored in a cryogenic tank. The hydrogen is used by vehicles with modified internal-combustion engines and by fuel cell vehicles.

A service station, specializing in hydrogen-powered propulsion, is located at one of the filling stations. This is where the CEP vehicles are examined and data is collected to provide important findings as to how the vehicles perform. Along with the operation of the service station, CEP also helps to develop advanced codes and standards for hydrogen infrastructure.
GM’s HydroGen3 is driven by the furniture company IKEA on a daily basis.