This March, the German gas and water industries association DVGW published the findings of a study called “Hydrogen electric vehicles – trends and outlook,” which the organization had commissioned to evaluate the prospects for hydrogen in the transportation sector.
When it comes to the subject of “infrastructure of electric vehicles”, there are many different opinions regarding costs, the possibility of integrating the infrastructure into the power grids and the efficiency of energy supply. Depending on one’s point of view, the infrastructure for battery cars is sometimes better than that for fuel cell cars.
Meeting the German federal government’s ambitious climate target, that is, a 95 percent reduction in GHG emissions until 2050 compared to a 1990 baseline, will require a decarbonized transportation sector. Cars powered by conventional engines must be replaced by low-emission versions. The two most promising substitutes are battery-electric vehicles or BEVs and fuel cell vehicles or FCEVs.
A recent study has exposed deeper issues with the new German cash incentive. The low range of the cars and the poor infrastructure for refills aren’t the only reasons why electric vehicle sales haven’t been taking off: Prospective buyers don’t even find a model they like. Additionally, people view the financial incentives as “supporting the upper class” or “subsidizing carmakers,”
A ferry over the Rhine has for many years been the link between Rüdesheim and Bingen, a cross-over between the federal German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. The car ferry is highly frequented: both by local tourism and by commuters who want to get to Ingelheim and Mainz, but also into the other direction to Wiesbaden and the Frankfurt area, including its adjacent communities.
The biggest challenge of the energy sector transformation will be the spatial and temporal separation of production and consumption. Such a global issue may seem to require global or at least national solutions. The Energiepark Ewald study for the Hydrogen City Herten in Germany shows
What impact does the ongoing electrification of the automotive industry have? Which technology fields will be affected by the structural changes? What needs to be done not to lag behind? Questions like these are a concern especially to regions highly dependent on the car industry. In a search for answers, the State Agency for Electric Mobility and Fuel Cell Technology, e-mobil BW