The election of the new chairman of the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) had already taken place during the New Energy Days in Husum, but the first public appearance took place in Hannover. At the Public Forum of Hydrogen + Fuel Cells Europe the baton handover took place: Thomas Bystry, who took early retirement from Shell in May 2019, led the initiative for over three years.

He said goodbye: “In the individual industries and companies, there is currently a growing awareness that the realisation of mobility with hydrogen can only be achieved with combined forces.”

His successor is now Jörg Starr. The manager, who initially worked for Smart and Daimler and has been with Audi since 2007, explained: “The subject is complex and multifaceted, which is why we want to grow. And, of course, I’m always hoping for more impetus from new partners.” In order for small and medium-sized enterprises to be able to join the CEP in future, a new financial concept with reduced contributions was recently adopted. In Hanover, Starr also emphasised that he would like to lead the merger “for longer periods of time” (more than two years) as spokesman, and expressly pointed out that the willingness of his company to “release” him for this office could certainly be understood as Audi’s commitment to fuel cell technology.