These are pan-European projects, all backed by EU member states, demonstrating innovation and technology in road transport
Hydrogen Mobility Europe
The H2ME1 project started in 2015 and runs to the middle of 2020. This 5-year project will increase the number of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) operating on Europe’s roads and will lead in the creation of a pan-European hydrogen fuelling station network.
With over 300 vehicles and 29 state of the art refuelling stations being deployed, the project is one of the most ambitious coordinated hydrogen deployment project attempted in Europe to date.
The H2ME2 project was started in May 2016 and is built on this expertise. It will significantly expand the European hydrogen vehicles fleet and in so doing, aims to confirm the technical and commercial readiness of vehicles, fuelling stations and hydrogen production techniques.
With its more than 1,100 cars, vans and trucks and 20 hydrogen refuelling stations, H2ME2 will produce recommendations and identify any gaps that may prevent full commercialisation, as well as collating results to support future investments.
Together the H2ME1 and H2ME2 projects demonstrate the breadth and depth of the commitment to hydrogen-fuelled road transport as a pan-European solution to the need to have viable, competitive, alternatives to fossil fuels. www.h2me.eu
JEC (JRC-Eucar-Concawe)
A long-standing vehicle technology collaboration between the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, EUCAR and Concawe in the field of engines, fuels, powertrains, emissions and technologies.
JEC Objectives are:
- Evaluation of energy use and emissions related to engine and vehicle technologies, fuel qualities, and the interaction between them.
- Co-ordinated and co-operative research on the evaluation of the relative performance of future road transport fuels and powertrains.
- The ultimate goal is to support the sustainability of European vehicle and oil industry, and to provide the European Union with scientific facts.
The reference work of JEC collaboration is the Well-to-Wheels study, assessing the energy use and GHG emissions of road fuel and powertrain configurations in Europe today and in 2030. ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/jec
JIVE (Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe)
The project – in two phases – will deploy nearly 300 hydrogen fuel-cell buses in 22 cities across Europe by the early 2020s – the largest deployment in Europe to date.
The project consortium comprises 22 partners from seven countries, including councils in Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dundee and London (TfL). The JIVE1 project aims to deploy 139 new zero-emission hydrogen fuel-cell buses and associated refuelling infrastructure across five countries. The JIVE2 project started in January 2018, and will deploy 160 hydrogen fuel-cell buses.
JIVE runs for six years from January 2017 and is co-funded by a €32m grant from the FCH JU (Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking) under the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme for research and innovation. www.fuelcellbuses.eu
Project Edward
A European initiative introduced in 2016, with the aim of reducing death and serious injuries on roads by 50% by 2020. Each year, a ‘day of action’ is planned where the goal is to have zero fatalities on Europe’s roads for the 24 hours. www.projectedward.eu
