More hydrogen cars set to appear on Europe’s roads

The plan marks a step forward in the development and marketing of ‘clean and safe’ hydrogen vehicles. As a result, the European automotive industry could become more competitive by taking the lead in hydrogen technology.

The European Parliament vote was based on a compromise reached with the Member States, which is expected to adopt the package shortly.

Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen, responsible for enterprise and industry, said: “The agreement in the European Parliament is a big step forward in the introduction of hydrogen vehicles. They have the potential to make Europe’s air cleaner and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. Setting common standards will ensure high safety for citizens and will boost the competitiveness of European manufacturers. Now the EU Member Sates will have the final say and I hope for their support.”

At the moment, uniform requirements for hydrogen vehicles are not included in the EU vehicle-type approval system. This poses problems for hydrogen vehicle manufacturers when trying to place these vehicles on the market in the EU.

Currently, even if a vehicle obtains national or single type-approval in one Member State, it is not guaranteed that the registration of this vehicle will be authorised in all the other Member States. Further, Member States have the possibility to establish different requirements for issuing an approval certificate.

This situation results in a fragmented internal market of hydrogen powered vehicles, as well as complicated and costly approval procedures, which discourages the introduction of the environmentally friendly technology.

The proposed single approval will be sufficient for the entire EU. At the same time, the regulation will guarantee that all hydrogen vehicles put on the market in the EU are at least as safe as conventional vehicles.

A Commission study shows that the simplified procedures could result in a saving of up to €124 million in approval costs to vehicle manufacturers in the period 2017-2025.

Source: European Commission

Credits: Jarvis