Hydrogen industry bullish on long-term use of pure H2 in all forms of transport, including cars and long-haul aviation
Survey of Hydrogen Europe members shows that they largely believe in H2’s future as a fuel, despite its relatively low volumetric density
Pure hydrogen has a bright long-term future as a fuel in all forms of transport — including controversial segments such as cars, and long-distance aviation — according to an anonymous survey of Hydrogen Europe members.
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The only exceptions — ie, with less than 50% of the vote stating a perfect or close to perfect fit — were cruise ships (with 46.1% stating one of the two), bulk carriers (46.5%), small container ships (feeder vessels) (45.9%), large container ships (41.1%) and medium-range flights (49.2%).
The preferred fuel in every shipping category, as well as medium-range flights, was e-fuel derived from hydrogen (ie, synthetic LNG, ammonia, or methanol).
Curiously, while “synthetic drop-in fuels” were a choice for the shipping questions, it was not listed for aviation, despite being widely regarded as the most likely zero-emission option for long-distance flights by those outside the industry.
| Transport mode | % of respondents describing compressed H2 (700 bar) as a perfect fit (or close to one) [*350 bar where that was the preferred option] | % of respondents describing batteries as a perfect fit (or close to one) |
| Cars | 66.2% | 84.7% |
| Vans | 75.5% | 65.9% |
| Long-haul trucks | 80.6% | 8.7% |
| Regional delivery trucks | 67.7%* | 44.6% |
| Urban delivery trucks | 56.1%* | 84.6% |
| Municipal utility trucks | 64.5%* | 69.6% |
| Urban buses (up to 300km) | 62.8%* | 62.4% |
| Intercity buses (300-500km) | 78.6% | 14.3% |
| Coaches (more than 500km) | 83.7% | 9.6% |
Outside of the hydrogen industry, few experts believe that pure hydrogen will ever be more than a niche fuel in cars and long-distance shipping and aviation.
Because the survey was anonymous, Hydrogen Europe cannot be sure which of its members responded.
“As the survey was conducted on a voluntary basis, it is assumed that most respondents consider mobility to be part of their business – either directly (manufacturing of vehicles/vessels/aircraft, end-users) or indirectly (providing hydrogen for refuelling, manufacturing of components/providing necessary infrastructure).”
Respondents were asked to give their opinions on all the different long-term transport solutions on a scale of 1 to 5, with one being “not suitable” and five being a “perfect fit”.
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