Clear The Way For Hydrogen Cars

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 05:39

The EU has set up a uniform approval process for hydrogen cars. This means that the alternative technology can be introduced more quickly.

In the European Union, there will be a uniform approval procedure for hydrogen cars in the future. The EU parliamentarians finally voted in Brussels on Wednesday for a corresponding proposal from the Commission. "With the establishment of EU-wide minimum standards and approval criteria, the European Parliament has now cleared the way for this future technology," said the rapporteur, CSU MEP Anja Weisgerber, after the vote.

Hope of the future

Hydrogen, along with biofuels and electric propulsion systems, is one of the hopes for reducing dependence on oil, reducing air pollution and reducing CO2 emissions from road traffic, she said. In Germany, the automobile manufacturer BMW has already developed a hydrogen-powered car, around 100 of which are on the road. Parliamentary President Hans-Gert Pöttering also drives such a car.

Federal Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD) welcomed the European approval decision for hydrogen cars. "These are good signals from Brussels," he said in Berlin.

Faster renewal

According to the SPD MEP Matthias Groote, the regulation will make it easier for manufacturers to bring their vehicles onto the market. "The aim is to renew the European vehicle fleet as quickly as possible so that cleaner and more efficient vehicles can hit the roads."

Hydrogen cars require a larger tank than gasoline-powered vehicles. The petrol station network still needs to be expanded. Of the around 40 hydrogen filling stations in Europe, 20 are in Germany. (dpa)