Fuel cells

• [New] South Korea aims to become a global leader in hydrogen-powered cars and fuel cells by 2030.
• [New] South Korea's government-supported Hydrogen Economy Roadmap is notably among the most ambitious in the world, with the aim of ensuring 15,000 megawatts of hydrogen fuel cell installations, 6.2 million hydrogen vehicles and 1,200 hydrogen charging stations are in operation by 2040.
• [New] Sales of new energy vehicles - which include pure battery EVs, fuel-cell cars and plug-in hybrids - are expected to rise to about 1.1 million units in 2020.
• With the UK government set to ban fossil fuel vehicles from 2035, hydrogen fuel cells could do much of the heavy lifting in decarbonising freight and public transport, where 80% of hydrogen demand in transport is likely to come from.
• Japan has outlined plans to quit fossil fuels and import clean hydrogen with plans to have as many as 800,000 hydrogen-powered fuel cell cars on its roads by 2030.
• The Chinese government is targeting one to two million fuel cell vehicles by 2030 and over a thousand hydrogen refuelling stations.
• Fuel cells are in widening use in the automotive sector, with producer Ballard projecting a $100 billion market over the next 10 years to power medium - and heavy-duty trucks.
• By 2025, the California ZEV program requires over 16% of sales by large manufacturers to be pure zero-emission vehicles, either battery electric or fuel cell, or comply through credits market purchases.
• Total sales of new energy vehicles - including electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles - are expected to reach 1.1 million vehicles in China in 2020, about 5% of total auto sales.
• In 2050, 113 million fuel cell electric vehicles could save up to 68 million tons of fuel and almost 200 million tons of carbon emissions.
• The assembly of fuel cell trucks and buses in Australia by Hyzon, working with strategic partners, is scheduled to begin in 2022 at the latest.
• China has set a target for NEVs, which also include plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, to account for a fifth of auto sales by 2025, compared with the current 5%, as it seeks to cut pollution and cultivate home-grown auto sector champions.
• Greater cooperation between the public and private sectors will be invaluable in developing and producing the hydrogen-based infrastructure necessary for the energy transition.
• China is Expected to Realize of Total Cost of Ownership Parity between Fuel Cell Heavy Truck and Diesel Engine Heavy Truck in Ten Years.
• California has a target of 200 hydrogen fueling stations and over 47,000 hydrogen vehicles by 2025 and is hoping that hydrogen will help balance its electric grid.
• Under current regulations, California's Air Resources Board requires automakers to sell electric, fuel cell and other zero-emission vehicles in increasing percentages through 2025.
• A draft rule issued by the California Air Resources Board in April would require 5% of new Classes 7-8 tractor sales to be zero-emission vehicles such as electric or fuel cell trucks by the end of 2024.
• The BMW Group will pilot the second generation of hydrogen fuel cell drives in a small series in the BMW i Hydrogen NEXT based on the current BMW X5 from 2022.
• Shifting to hydrogen fuel cells has the potential to significantly decarbonise the power consumption of data centres, which are expected to constitute 3.5% of total electricity demand worldwide in 2020.
• GM previously said its plan to introduce 20 new all-electric vehicles by 2023 would include at least one fuel cell vehicle for its retail customers, describing the product onslaught as a two-pronged approach between battery and fuel cell.
• Given the Korean government's ambitious directive of deploying 15,000 MW of fuel cells by 2040, we forecast to sell 400 MW per year of fuel cells in the future.
• Bosch estimates that as much as 20% of all electric vehicles worldwide will be powered by fuel cells by 2030.
• In an increasingly urbanised world, fuel cell technology is indispensable to ensure supply security: in 2050, over six billion people are expected to live in cities, i.e. 70 percent of the world population.

Last updated: 29 November 2020