 | | | European pioneering spirit |
| All participants are entering new territory with the fuel cell. |
Testing involves more than just constant monitoring of the vehicles. The scene is somewhat reminiscent of the beginnings of the automobile: when Berta Benz completed the first long-distance car drive in the world, there were no filling stations at which to buy petrol. Instead she had to get it at the chemist’s shop. For the development of the fuel cell, a new infrastructure must once again be created for a new fuel: hydrogen. The required filling stations do not come ready-made, and the mineral oil companies involved are venturing into new territory.
The same is true for the energy suppliers which provide hydrogen from renewable raw materials to the farthest extent possible. This is the first time an attempt has been made to sustainably establish a natural cycle: hydrogen "combusts" to water. Hydrogen can be obtained in many ways: from natural gas, hydroelectric power, solar and wind energy and biomass.
The ten European transport operators are using diverse processes for obtaining hydrogen, using environmentally friendly methods wherever possible. This procedure is also generating valuable findings which can help forge the path to the future. The large-scale test shows which direction the drive technology is taking: if today’s energy supply for urban buses is based almost 95 percent on crude oil, then over the course of the trial, crude oil should be replaced to the greatest extent possible by renewable sources of energy. The researchers are not the only ones who are excited about this objective, as can be clearly seen in the financial support the EU is providing as part of the CUTE (Clean Urban Transport for Europe) and ECTOS (Ecological City Transport System) projects.
The knowledge gained by the participating transport operators is practically priceless: they are the first ones worldwide to be developing along with a new technology, and by each creating a hydrogen filling station, they are already starting to establish the infrastructure of the future. And last but not least, they can offer their passengers the exclusive advantage of quiet, emission-free mobility with renewable energy. |
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