Brussels, 13/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - No matter how much alternative fuels are encouraged and promoted for the transport of the future, with no viable supply infrastructure it will always be difficult for electric, hydrogen- or biofuel-powered cars to make a breakthrough on the market. These alternative fuels, however, can bring a practical contribution to more sustainable and less polluting transport. In 2010, the European Commission set up an expert group to look at fuels of the future in transport. This group has just published its second report urging public authorities to support the development of an adequate supply infrastructure for these green fuels (hydrogen and fuel cells, biofuels, electricity, synthetic fuels, methanol, liquefied petroleum gas).
Public helping hand at European level. Experts (from the Commission, industry, civil society, research, etc.) are unequivocal: it is from right now that there has to be investment in charging and refuelling infrastructure, as development is slow in transport and the target of a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions has to be reached by the end of this decade. The obstacles are clear: hitherto, initiatives to develop infrastructure of this type has been fragmented and patchy across the EU. This means higher costs, with no economies of scale, and, above all, does nothing to encourage acceptance by consumers. And there's the rub: as the shift to green fuels is not driven by consumer demand but by political objectives, a public helping hand is needed in bringing these products to the market to encourage investment in the infrastructure of the new service stations. But this must be done in a coordinated way at European level, with, for example, harmonised standards.
Expert recommendations. The expert group puts forward a number of suggestions for a strategy to be put in place at Community level. These views could feed into the Commission communication on alternative fuels for transport expected later this quarter. Among the recommendations, public-private partnership, European Investment Bank loans and programmes financed as part of the Trans-European Transport Network should be given consideration, the experts say. They do not rule out setting objectives, possibly legally binding, for member states, based on country-specific deployment projections. Care should be taken not to rush into selecting the technologies, the experts warn, as this could damage the development of other technologies that are more efficient in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and might also involve too great costs for society and industry. More specifically, the group believes that, initially, captive fleets, such as taxis and municipal vehicles, and heavy vehicles, such as buses and refuse collection lorries, could make the shift to green fuels and make use of appropriate infrastructure in urban areas.
Helping hand quantified by industry. The group's main message is close to the detailed conclusions of the New Energy World Industry Grouping “Fuel Cell and Hydrogen for Sustainability” (NEW-IG) which, in a 2011 report, said that the contribution needed of the European Commission for the specific development of these technologies could be as much as €2.5 to €4 billion between 2014 and 2020, with between €2 billion and €4 billion required from national investment, in order to leverage €10-14 billion from the private sector. (MD/transl.rt)