The e-Journal on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
On Dec. 14 and 15 last year, the German federal transportation ministry, BMVI, organized its NIP year-end conference “Clean Transportation by Hydrogen and Fuel Cell” to present the successes of the National Innovation Program Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. Many project partners and politicians from across the country came to Berlin for the presentation of the results and to witness a fast and seamless transition into the next decade.
After one hydrogen filling station had each been installed in Wuppertal and Ulm in summer 2016, another three went into operation last fall. As reported previously (see Three New Hydrogen Filling Stations), the H2 pump at the Metzingen gas station south of Stuttgart came online on Sept. 23. Five days later, however, it had to be shut down again when a truck hit it. Its trailer had been caught in the pump, resulting in at least EUR 60,000 in damage.
Klaus Bonhoff has managed the activities of the National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) since its founding in 2008, making him the face of the German H2 and fuel cell industry. He has travelled around the world, patiently explained strategies and made the case for greater commitment. But he has also had to face criticism whenever projects were not implemented as quickly as had been hoped. H2-international spoke with the chair of NOW during the Hanover trade show
On May 1, 2016, Nikolas Iwan became the new CEO of H2 MOBILITY Germany. Iwan had previously worked for eight years in different management positions at Shell. His predecessor, Frank Sreball, who has had his own consultancy for management and interim management since 2005, had been the one originally setting up H2 MOBILITY on his own.
Change in personnel at the beginning of the year at Clean Energy Partnership (CEP): Patrick Schnell, who had worked at the organization since it started out as a demonstration project (which succeeded the Verkehrswirtschaftliche Energiestrategie or VES in 2002), handed over his chairmanship of CEP to Thomas Bystry. Schnell, whose primary employment is managing the Sustainable Development department
As part of the 50 H2 stations by 2015 program, on 4th May 2015, the first hydrogen filling station to be situated on a German freeway was opened. The Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) officially opened the facility, which is situated at the Geiselwind truck stop, in the presence of the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Transportation and Digital Infrastructure, Dorothee Bär. The station
For several months, speculation has been rife concerning the continuation of the National Innovation Program for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP), or a possible NIP 2.0. To ensure that the ideas on the configuration of the revised program aren’t rejected before it has even got off the ground, it is worth taking a brief look back: what, exactly, were the contents and goals of the NIP 1.0?