The absence of a hydrogen infrastructure for individual transport is a main obstacle on the road towards this clean fuel. DWV therefore now starts to create a „Roadmap“. This will be a study which provides the basic tools and inputs for industry and politics for the formulation of a general hydrogen strategy for Germany as well as for a joint approach. Similar strategic initiatives exist in USA and Japan. While they enjoy state support there, however, this necessity is seen by a number of German states, but scarcely on the federal level. The first step is a basic paper which was completed early October.

(See our press release No. 4/02 of 8. October 2002)

Germany' first dedicated hydrogen fair was held for the second time this year. In spite of the not too favorable economic situation the fair grew to 4200 m², distributed under 118 exhibitors. Next year a twin of the fair will be held at Washington (D.C.) in conjunction with the annual meeting of the NHA. But the Hamburg fair will be held next year at the same time at the same place. Size and atmosphere of the fair reminded a journalist to the first wind energy fairs ten years ago. Both the event and the exhibits were then rather modest, compared with today. 

The most important eye-catcher were the car makers, as usual. BMW showed the latest type of the 7 series. Apart from the different tank nozzle and the smaller luggage compartment almost no difference to the normal type can be seen. Here again BMW declared that the hydrogen age will not come - it is already there. Ford presented the current status of the development of a hybrid car (fuel cell plus buffer battery) on the basis of a Focus (see „Ford“).

Berlin's first hydrogen filling station was opened on 23. October on a bus station belonging to the transport utility Berliner Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVG). Hydrogen is available both as cryogenic liquid and as compressed gas. The plant for liquid hydrogen was delivered by Linde. A company spokesmen said that hydrogen fuel could cost as much as gasoline already if only 0,1 to 1 % of the energy used in traffic were provided this way. The gas is generated in a membrane high pressure electrolyzer. The station is part of a project in which a city bus will run for a few months in Berlin, and later in Copenhagen and Lisbon (see No. 3/02 „Berlin buses“). The operation under such very different conditions will make it possible to compare the results and to develop the technology further. 

In spite of a lot of advice to this effect BVG does not go the natural gas path. Tests showed problems with the consumption and thus the range of the vehicles as well as with the organization of the supply. Thus for the moment the Diesel engines will be converted to CRT filters and desulphurized fuel to make them meet the exhaust gas standard Euro 5. The next step will be buses with hydrogen tanks, fuel cell, and electric drive. This is exactly the procedure which is now recommended by the association of German transport utilities (VDV) to its member companies (see No. 4/02 „Recommendation“). 

The second filling station in Berlin is due for next year. It will be part of the „Clean Energy Partnership“ project (see No. 3/02 „Berlin partnership“) in which BVG, car and fuel makers cooperate. Aral will build a station at the Central Bus Station. BVG will buy double-decker buses with fuel cells. The next project is a rail bus which will also have a fuel cell drive. 

On 7. October DaimlerChrysler presented the company's first fuel cells to be used in fleets and to be tested by customers. This will be 30 city buses of the „Citaro“ type and 60 Mercedes-Benz „F-Cell“ based on the A class. DaimlerChrysler thus leaves the concept car stage and progresses towards market maturity.

The cars will be tested by customers in Europe, USA, Japan, and Singapore starting in 2003. The „F-Cell“ series has a specially designed interior, provides as much space as the serial car and will be built under conditions close to those of serial production. The range is about 150 km, the consumption corresponds to 4.2 l Diesel per 100 km, the maximum speed is 140 km/h. 

The 30 buses will operate from 2003 in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxemburg, Madrid, Porto, Reykjavik, Stockholm, and Stuttgart. They will have to prove themselves in daily regular service under the very different conditions of these cities.

(DaimlerChrysler press release of 7. October 2002 )

Similar to other car makers Opel will operate a very small fleet of fuel cell cars as early as 2003. The new drive technology will be fitted into seven cars of the Zafira type and tested under everyday conditions. Opel director Klaudia Martini said that GM's objective is to be „the first car maker in the world with 1 million fuel cell cars in the market“.

(dpa, 8. October 2002)

On 2. October Ford presented what is said to be the first fuel cell car of the world ready for serial production. It will now be built in a small series of 40 vehicles to be tested under practical conditions. The „Ford Focus FCEV Hybrid“ is running on a combination of fuel cell and battery, from which additional energy for special demands can be drawn. The range is 300 km, the speed is limited to 128 km/h.

BMW had a major exhibition stand on the sustainability summit held at Johannesburg and showed the hydrogen car. Federal Chancellor Schroeder dropped in, despite a very tight schedule. His comment: „The efforts of German companies like the BMW Group demonstrates that investing in a sustainable company strategy and economical success do by no means exclude each other. To the contrary, only companies which take sustainability serious will be able to have a share in the markets of the future.“ (BMW press release of 2. September) 

Volkswagen showed a hydrogen car equipped with fuel cells made by the Paul Scherrer Institute. The consumption in the New European Driving Cycle corresponds to 5,2 l gasoline per 100 km. This are 40 % less than the 8,5 l of the normal type. And this with a prototype which is very heavy. A further weight reduction could make the energy consumption drop further. (PSI press release of 29. August 2002; see No. 1/02 „Hydrogen Alpinism”)

Climate protection, the air pollution in the cities, and the dependence on imported oil have moved the Chinese government to the decision to introduce the hydrogen car as soon as possible. A group consisting of central government, the administrations of several major cities, and a few state companies have agreed on spending 350 M€ for the project. Intensive contacts are maintained to US, German, and other companies. The government backs the idea politically; it can for example order the taxis to be converted accordingly, or it can drastically reduce the permitted emission in certain cities, even down to zero. Project head Prof. Wan Gang says: „We can educate the customer faster.“ Already during the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 there will be 2000 to 3000 cars and up to 100 buses operating. (Wirtschaftswoche, 24. October 2002).

Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp., China's greatest car maker, will present a fuel cell car prototype with hydrogen fuel not later than 2005. It will be based on the Volkswagen Santana. (Bloomberg, 12. August 2002)

The polymers Polyanilin and Polypyrrol can store up to 8 % of their weight as hydrogen at ambient temperature. This was reported by scientists of the Korean Institute for Energy Research during a meeting of the American Chemical Society. The normal capacity is 6 %, but a treatment with acid enhances it to 8 %. The electrical conductivity of the polymers facilitates the contact of hydrogen molecules to the surface, and the acid treatment enhances the latter. The next question is whether the substances can not only store, but also release the hydrogen in a controlled way.  

(bild der wissenschaft newsticker, 28. August 2002)

The Celanese AG company on 2. September started a new facility for the production of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) in the industry area Hoechst near Frankfurt. The special feature is the use of the temperature resistant polymer Polybenzimidazol (PBI) which is made by nobody else in the world except Celanese. The operating temperature of up to 200 °C makes the fuel cell less sensitive for pollution of the hydrogen gas with CO. And the water and heat management of the fuel cell system becomes much easier. 

Roland Koch, prime minister of the state of Hesse, quoted Celanese's leading position in this field a particularly impressive example for advanced technologies in Hesse and called the event „a small step towards the solution of the big problems which are now being discussed at Johannesburg“ (see „Sustainable“). But the development is not yet complete: „We are no longer at the drawing board with this technology; now our task is to turn it into an industry.“

Within three years the Japanese electronics company NEC will start the mass production of fuel cells for portable electronic devices. They will provide an operating time ten times that of the common Lithium-Ion batteries. One reason for this will be that the electrodes will be made from „Nanohorns“, a special kind of carbon nanostructures. Their huge surface facilitates the electrochemical processes. 

(Reuters, 18. August 2002; Financial Times, 19. August 2002; see No. 5/01 „Electrodes“)

On 17. September the German utility EnBW started the operation of a power station in Mingolsheim near Karlsruhe; the nucleus of the plant is a PEM fuel cell by Ballard with an electrical output of 250 kW. The heat is used for a spa. Before the end of this year EnBW plans to start a MTU molten carbonate cell of equal power in a Michelin factory in Karlsruhe. The plant will support the production of tires with process heat and electrical power.

(EnBW press release of 17. September 2002 )

The university of Reykjavik (Iceland) has developed a device which converts the temperature difference between two water reservoirs into electrical power. This is based on the well known „thermoelectrical effect“. There is a semiconductor layer between the two water reservoirs; the heat flow from the hot to the cold side sets electrons free. Such devices could play an important role for the further development in Iceland because the country has an abundant supply of hot and cold water equally. But there are many other places where hot water is available. 

(BBC News, 23. October 2002; find more at www.varmaraf.is)

The European Commission will step up significantly the research on hydrogen and fuel cells. President Romano Prodi said that hydrogen technology would not only decrease our dependency on [imported] energy and the emissions, but could also create chances for poorer countries. State support in all member countries is estimated to be 50 to 60 M€/year, about a third of the sum for the USA and a fourth that for Japan. The EU spent 120 M€ for it from 1997 to 2002. Prodi announced that this budget would be increased „significantly“, without giving figures. 

On 10. October Prodi and the Commissioners Loyola de Palacio (energy and transport) and Philippe Busquin (research) presented a high-ranking advisor group from top managers of European companies from the fields of cars, energy, supply, research, and transport as well as politicians. Their task will be to judge the potential of hydrogen and fuel cells in order to make a more concentrated support by the EU possible.  

(Press release of the Commission of 10. October 2002)

Before the end of this year the first building works will be done for a state fuel cell research institute in the US state of Michigan. Doug Rothwell, head of a development society, said: „We want to make sure the transformation to hydrogen energy happens with us, not to us“. The state has provided 50 M$ for the center which will be called „NextEnergy” and will be located near Detroit. On 12.000 m² there will be both research work and information for the public. On 15. October the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and of the corresponding Wirtschaftsfoerderung Region Stuttgart GmbH signed an agreement on the cooperation of the two regions in this field. 

British minister for Europe Peter Hain, former minister for energy, said in London about the strategic significance of our fuels: „Just as we moved from horse to canal to steam to petrol, we now must move to renewables, for our health, our environment, and yes, our security.“ As examples for the vulnerability of the old system he quoted the blockade two years ago of UK fuel depots which had caused supply problems and the attack on a French oil tanker off the coast of Yemen in early October. The cost of protecting Middle East oil supplies, paid predominantly by the US, were as high as 15-25 $ per barrel. But no amount of money could guarantee the security of oil supplies.

by Jeremy Rifkin, 2002; ISBN 1585421936, 336 pages

The author treats the actual topic on just 30 of 300 pages. The rest is a great tour from the stone age via ancient Rome, Mohammed, Gutenberg, and James Watt to 11. September. If you want to understand the context for renewable energy and hydrogen this is a good book. Its main merit is to show clearly how important and urgent the fundamental change in the energy system is and which potential of social changes it has.