- Author
- David Jollie, Fuel Cell Today
The 18th April edition of Automotive News features an interesting article on a recently-held forum at the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) forum in Detroit, looking at hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Representatives from BMW, GM, Toyota and Quantum Technologies all approached the question of the commericalisation of fuel cells and hydrogen. Their main conclusions were that there was little consensus in the automotive industry about how to use the technology and, more positively, that this lack of agreement meant that there were opportunities to develop the technology logically and efficiently, no matter when it eventually arrives.
According to Automotive News, the panel agreed that the introduction of hydrogen power would require "concerted planning by industry and government leaders". GM's primary question was how fuel storage can best be accomplished. BMW focused on the issue of educating the public as to what benefits fuel cells and hydrogen can and cannot deliver. A very valid point made was that if we are simply looking for local emissions savings, we can find other routes to achieve this.
Toyota and Quantum also showed some urgency, pointing out that the industry does not have unlimited time to make its decisions, with an infrastructure and codes and standards already under development.
