WRITTEN QUESTION E-4117/00

by Juan Naranjo Escobar (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(11 January 2001)

Subject: The hydrogen revolution and the future of automobile transport

Carlo Rubbia, Nobel prize winner for physics, claims that the energy crisis needs to be tackled by stepping up research and development, describing innovation itself as the best of all renewable energies.

The Italian physicist believes that the next fifteen to twenty years will see a massive change, in which an entire civilisation based on oil will be replaced by one running on hydrogen, a change comparable to the way typewriters have been replaced by computers.

In the light of these major pronouncements from an outstanding physicist, what is the Commission's position with regard to research into the use of hydrogen for automobile transport in the future? Does research directly funded by the EU exist? What are the prospects for an all-embracing Community policy in the medium and long terms?

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(29 March 2001)

The Commission considers that the use of hydrogen as an automotive fuel should offer environmental benefits as well as contribute to improving the security of energy supplies. In particular, fuel cells directly fuelled by hydrogen hold great promise as very efficient, zero emission (at point of use) energy converters. The actual degree of benefit will, however, depend on how the hydrogen is produced, distributed, stored and used. The benefits of hydrogen must also be weighed against other renewable fuels for transport. The adverse impacts of transport can additionally be tackled through a better modal split. The Commission intends to address these issues in a coherent manner, reflecting current policy initiatives in the areas of transport and mobility, air quality and the environment, and global climate change.

Over the last ten years, the Community research and technological development (RTD) programmes have been allocating increasing research funding to fuel cells and hydrogen technologies for transport. There has been a significant increase in RTD funding for fuel cells and hydrogen technologies, from some 7,5 million per year in the Fourth framework programme to 18 million per year in the Fifth (of which 2-3 million is for hydrogen technologies). Different processes and primary energy sources (fuel pathways) are being investigated for hydrogen production. Effort is directed at achieving substantial cost reductions. Progress is being made in the area of harmonised standards, regulations and safety of hydrogen vehicles. In addition, the Community has started discussions with key stakeholders on new transport fuels including hydrogen, as a result of the Green Paper on security of energy supply(1), and in the forthcoming White Paper on the common transport policy and the Communication on clean urban transport. A call for a study on renewable fuels in transport is in preparation, including hydrogen generated from renewable energy.

The Community is also exploring the possibility of setting up an Community Fuel Cell and Hydrogen RTD Advisory Group. This would assist the Community to make RTD in Europe more coherent and effective in the context of a European Research Area. This would help to foster the development of the hydrogen and fuel cell vehicle and components industries and supply chains and to promote harmonised standards and regulations covering systems integration and safety, hydrogen fuelling infrastructure, and vehicle/fuelling interfaces.

The Commission is currently preparing to launch a call for a study on renewable fuels in transport. This study will look at hydrogen generated from renewable energy as one of the options investigated.

(1) COM(2000) 769 final.