Cross-Industry Group Forms Hydrogen Council

Five carmakers and eight energy and other leading companies have formed a Hydrogen Council that plans to invest about €1.4 billion ($1.5 billion) per year on hydrogen-related products.

The group was announced Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in support of the 2015 Paris Agreement to combat climate change. The 13-member alliance says it will consult with and provide recommendations to policymakers and other constituents to help promote hydrogen and fuel cells as a clean-energy alternative to current fossil fuel-based products.

The group released a report detailing how hydrogen can empower the transition to new energy sources. It notes that hydrogen doesn't release carbon dioxide into the environment during its use.

Participating carmakers consist of BMW, Daimler, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota. The other members are gas giants Air Liquide, Linde, Royal Dutch Shell and Total; miner Anglo American, electric utility Engie, rail company Alstom and motorcycle and heavy equipment manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

“Hydrogen has the potential to support our transition to a low-carbon society across multiple industries and the entire value chain,” says Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s chairman and a council co-chair. Toyota, Honda and Hyundai are among the first carmakers to offer publicly available fuel cell vehicles.

Daimler, which plans to introduce the Mercedes GLC F-Cell fuel cell vehicle later this year, notes that such vehicles have a longer operating range and faster refueling times than pure electric vehicles.