European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012
The European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012 is part of H2moves Scandinavia, one of several projects in the Joint Technology Initiative on Hydrogen & Fuel Cells (FCH JU) which is funded by the European Commission and the European Industry. The European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012 will with seminars and Ride & Drive events reach out to politicians, industry, press and public within six European regions.
The message is clear: Hydrogen vehicles are already here - ready for mass production from 2014-2015 onwards. But there is still a sigificant need for infrastructure build-up.
For the European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012, car manufacturers and infrastructure organizations, together with other related industry and local stakeholders were invited to join our journey in building a strong Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles partnership in Europe!
Why a road tour
Major car manufacturers have devoted a significant amount of resources towards developing hydrogen powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) that will be mass produced in a few years. That is why we take cars from four companies – Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota – along the European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012.
In many of the cities we visit it is the first time the general public has an opportunity to test drive these cars with only water coming out of the exhaust pipe. The FCEVs they will experience are on a par with today’s cars but with much less noise and emissions. Provided the energy in the hydrogen production is renewable, the environmental impact is low.
Our ambition is to accelerate the growth of hydrogen infrastructure so the FCEVs you can see here today, will be seen everywhere tomorrow.
Read more in our brochure.
Car fuel from water, is it possible?
Yes it is! A major pathway to produce hydrogen in the future is electrolysis, which is achieved by decomposing water into hydrogen and oxygen. This is done with the help of renewable electricity. At the moment this is a relatively expensive method to produce hydrogen, and approximately 30–40 percent of the energy is lost through the electrolytic process. However, the efficiency is expected to improve and in the long run electrolysis is considered to be the most sustainable method for producing hydrogen from renewable resources.
A fuel cell is a device which can be used to efficiently transform the hydrogen’s chemical energy into electricity and heat. Even better, the only emission is pure water. The efficiency of a fuel cell car is twice as high as the conventional combustion engine.
Read more about hydrogen and fuel cell technology at H2 Tech.
Tour facts
The Route
Local tour details
You can also follow our route more in detail, with local information and contacts, here on H2 Spots.
We are part of a bigger picture
The European Hydrogen Road Tour 2012 is part of a project called H2moves Scandinavia. The project is the first European Lighthouse Project for hydrogen, funded by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking programme, launched by the European Commission and European industry.
Main focus of the joint undertaking is to increase the impact of industrial level activities in Europe in this field and to address three major European policy targets:
- Energy diversity
- Mitigation of greenhouse gases
- Increase the share of renewable energies
Please feel welcome to contact us for more information and to join. We look forward to hear from you!
