The consortium brings together 20 regional, national and international, private and public stakeholders by the French Association for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells (AFHyPaC) and supported by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy. Their report on developing coordinated deployment scenarios for vehicles and hydrogen stations, which will emphasise the clear benefits and costs of this transition, is due to be published in late 2013.

The move follows on from the "H2 Mobility" initiatives in Germany and Great Britain, amongst others, and is co-funded by the stakeholders themselves and the European Union within the HIT  (Hydrogen for Transport Infrastructure) framework project.

The consortium has been formed in parallel to a draft European Directive to promote the development of alternative fuels such as electricity and hydrogen, which is currently being considered by the European Parliament and the European Council.

Intelligent Energy, one of the consortium partners and an UKH2 Mobility project member, commented: ‘In the context of growing urbanisation, electric vehicles, whether Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV), for personal, utility or for public use, represent an attractive and durable solution that allows the reduction to zero of CO2 and pollutant particle emissions, and significantly lowers noise from transport. For high-power vehicles or for those making long journeys, the hydrogen and fuel cell solution complements the battery-based only solution that is currently being deployed in France.

‘If we want to achieve a transition to new forms of energy, especially in the area of mobility, we must focus on tomorrow's technologies. Hydrogen can revolutionise energy storage as well as transportation. This study fully contributes to the national debate on energy transition. We must accelerate the experiments in this area, the establishment of an appropriate regulatory framework, and develop viable business models.’