The reports are coming thick and fast: Chinese companies and some provinces are planning to initially invest US$17 billion in hydrogen technology. A master plan already provides for 1 million FC vehicles on the country’s roads in 2030.
Many prominent figures from politics and business showed up to the H2Mobility conference in Berlin, Germany, in order to re-assure each other of the promises they had already made. Alexander Dobrindt kicked off the event held on the premises of his government department, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), before the Chinese transportation minister, Wan Gang, addressed the audience.
One should never be too enthusiastic, but if the Chinese government really takes up the battle against the country’s dramatic pollution levels, fuel cells and hydrogen will become top priorities – domestically and globally. People will take note of the comments that Wan Gang, China’s minister of science and technology, made during this year’s industry conference H2Mobility in Berlin in early April. Gang – an engineer, who had a ten-year stint at Audi – considers the fuel cell‘s versatility and “green hydrogen” to be two key solutions for improving China’s environmental situation