GLC F-Cell in Berlin

On Dec. 14 and 15 last year, the German federal transportation ministry, BMVI, organized its NIP year-end conference “Clean Transportation by Hydrogen and Fuel Cell” to present the successes of the National Innovation Program Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. Many project partners and politicians from across the country came to Berlin for the presentation of the results and to witness a fast and seamless transition into the next decade.

NOW, the National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology, has supervised more than 650 individual projects and a variety of industry networking initiatives since its founding in 2008, instigating “significant” technological developments. After the ten-year program that started in 2006 came to an end last year, the managers of the around 500 projects, including the showcases Callux, CEP, CPN and e4ships, presented the results to their financial backer.

The basic sentiment of the Clean Energy Partnership was that “the findings of all working groups” were …

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BMVI: “The great success of the government-sponsored program means it will continue between 2016 and 2026. On Sept. 28, 2016, the Federal Cabinet decided to extend its duration.” The funds of EUR 250 million until 2019 and around EUR 1.1 billion until 2026 have been made available, and as Wolfgang Axthammer, CFO/COO of NOW, confirmed to H2-international, the approval process has been triggered to ensure that the program continues without interruption. But as the supervising organization, NOW will have to add new business fields to its portfolio: In addition to NIP and battery-electric transportation, it will be responsible for establishing the relevant infrastructure and advance the federal government’s transportation and fuel strategy.

First-time presentation of Ford’s fuel cell model Fusion

Fuel cell prototype Ford Fusion

You could see the relief in Thomas Brachmann’s face when the head of the CEP Car Mobility working group discovered that there was a Ford among the fuel cell cars made available for test drives during the conference. After all, the American carmaker had revealed little to nothing about its project. As a Ford spokesperson confirmed to H2-international, the manufacturer had – quietly – taken one of the fuel cell units which have been used in Daimler’s GLC F-Cell and integrated it during a NIP project into a Ford Fusion Energi, a car originally planned as a plug-in hybrid.

Jules Verne, the activist

Provided some lighthearted moments: “Jules Verne”

After the federal transportation minister’s speech, it was time for “Jules Verne” …

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