The two-part trade fair concept was particularly well received by exhibitors. In addition to the halls at the fairgrounds, the Munich city center was also used as an exhibition area. Especially suppliers in the area of fuel cell drives had new things to present. They recognize the high market potential and feel that the technology will penetrate the passenger car sector through the commercial vehicle sector.
Siemens Energy CEO Christian Bruch put it clearly in an interview to members of the German Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association (DWV) a few months ago: The technology group wants to be a global player in the hydrogen sector – starting with electrolysis and ending with the use of hydrogen in various markets. The group is now being expanded in this direction, although in the short term the negative influence of the wind turbine subsidiary Gamesa (67 percent share, approx. 11 billion euros stock market value; that of Siemens Energy is only approx. 9 billion euros for 22 billion euros turnover) had a negative impact on their own balance sheet – a loss of minus 307 million euros.
The eighth and last eCarTec took place in Munich, Germany, on Oct. 18 to 20 last year. There will be another conference about electric transportation in fall in the Bavarian state capital, but its new name is “eMove360°” and it will offer a wider variety of topics about “Transportation 4.0” (electric transportation, connected and autonomous driving, materials and design).
BeeZero is gas company Linde’s new carsharing offer to anyone interested in renting a fuel cell car for a short trip on the road. Linde Hydrogen Concepts, the subsidiary that the technology business founded for this purpose, has acquired a total of 50 Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell for its first-ever rental location in Munich, Germany.
Expectations exceeded – this best sums up the three days from March 15 to 17 in Düsseldorf, Germany. In its fifth year, the Energy Storage Europe (ESE) and the four events taking place at the same time were able to attract an even greater number of participants: around 50% more exhibitors and 60% more attendees from the industry compared to the previous year. The mood in the Congress Center Düsseldorf right next to the Rhine was cheerful – and rightly so.
Are cars like the BMW i8 electric vehicles? A question hotly debated by many stakeholders in the electric transportation industry, not least since the government has planned to introduce various incentives for these types of vehicles. The German Electric Mobility Act (EmoG) passed in June 2015 says that communities can allow electric cars on bus lanes – whether or not the vehicles in question are actually running on gas or electricity
The work on developing ultra-cold hydrogen was abandoned together with the H2 combustion engine in 2006 – at least, that is what everyone believed. After years of uncertainty, it is now clear that BMW is still holding on to cryogenic technology. Proof of that is the inauguration of a new pump at the multi-energy refueling station in Munich, at which drivers can fill up both their compressed gas and their ultra-cold H2 tanks.
This summer car manufacturer BMW presented a new vehicle driven by a fuel cell. In Miramar in the south of France, the Bavarian company revealed their new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo (GT) on the first of July 2015. The car is a showcase vehicle, which was developed in cooperation with Toyota and is planned for mass production by 2020.
Numerous European countries are working hard – to a greater or lesser extent – in the field of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. Since 2006, one region has been particularly active: South Tyrol. In September 2009, in Bolzano, Italy, the ground-breaking ceremony was held for the construction of the first production and distribution system for green hydrogen in the country. The site adjacent to the Bolzano South freeway exit is now home to the biggest center for hydrogen in Europe, which is operated by the Institute for Innovative Technologies (IIT) and the Brenner A22 freeway. H2-international interviewed IIT President Walter Huber about the previous, current and future activities in South Tyrol.
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