Hydrogen mobility, an emerging sector

Hydrogen vehicles are becoming one of the most feasible options for the development of sustainable mobility, as an alternative to the use of fossil fuels. Hydrogen mobility offers advantages for both health and the environment compared to other fuels.

Among its many advantages are that it can travel up to 600 km without refueling, filling the tank takes a maximum of 5 minutes, its range is not affected by the weather, it is silent, and it emits zero emissions.

Unlike electric vehicles, hydrogen fuel cell vehicles do not store electricity in their batteries, but produce it in the fuel cell itself as the car needs it. Only water vapor is released through this process, and there are no tailpipe emissions.

Transition and investment

Today, there are already vehicles that run on hydrogen, such as ships, vans, trucks or trains. Investments in the hydrogen mobility industry will undoubtedly boost the sector, aiding large-scale production and hence consolidation and cost reduction.

The European Union’s Green Pact aims to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 and is betting on the development of three alternatives that will contribute to its decarbonization: electricity, eco-fuels and hydrogen, which can be used both for the production of synthetic fuels and through the fuel cell. The European Commission will allocate up to 35,238 million dollars to hydrogen over the next ten years.

Meanwhile, Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) ruled that by 2030 there will be between 100 and 150 public hydrogen plants and between 5,000 and 7,500 vehicles for transporting goods. At the same time, there will be between 100 and 150 fuel cell buses and two lines of commercial trains. The Spanish government will allocate, until 2023, about 1,826 million dollars.

According to a report by the Hydrogen Council, projects aimed at developing hydrogen as a clean energy source will total an investment of up to 300 billion dollars by 2030 worldwide. The report notes that 45% of this investment is concentrated in Europe, followed by Asia.

On the other hand, in Latin America, the Chilean government has proposed to become one of the world leaders in decarbonization by 2050.

For its part, in Mexico, there are green hydrogen projects that have programmed investments of around 1,350 million dollars, and the potential in this area is even greater, according to the Mexican Hydrogen Association (AMH).