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“ MANY EXPERTS PREDICT AN H2 ECONOMY IN THE MEDIUM TERM. THE ‘HYDROGEN COUNCIL’ RECENTLY LAUNCHED IN DAVOS IS A FIRST SIGN THAT THIS PREDICTION IS CORRECT ”In recent years, combatting the rise of pollutant emissions (especially in urban centres) and of global CO2 levels has taken a prominent place on the political agenda. Considerable international efforts have been directed at this, including successive amendments to emissions limits and the signing of international climate agreements. These efforts have led and will continue to lead to the proliferation of renewable energy and to an increasing electrification of the transport sector.The transformation and expansion of the energy sector as a result of these megatrends is increasingly shifting the energy mix toward renewables such as solar and wind power. Since production and demand cannot be synchronized, there is a need for efficient storage media. In addition, industrialized nations have always tried to maintain a balance between energy affordability and energy self-sufficiency, with a clear tendency toward the former. If this trend continues (as is to be expected), highly industrialized countries such as Germany and Japan will import a huge amount of renewable energy from less cost-intensive production sites. This will require a storage medium that can be efficiently transported over long distances, a requirement that can be satisfied if hydrogen is used. That is why many experts predict an H2 economy in the medium-term. The “Hydrogen Council” recently launched in Davos is a first sign that this prediction is correct.The automobile industry faces the challenge of offering electrified mobility products and solutions while still keeping them commercially attractive. In other words, they have to satisfy their customers’ demands for increasing quality and convenience while keeping their prices affordable. Fuel cell vehicles based on hydrogen offer a perfect solution, since their only by-product is water, which leaves the system in form of vapor. These vehicles also offer mobility on a par with current standards, with range and fueling times comparable to combustion engines. Furthermore, the noise and vibration level of fuel cell systems is lower than that of combustion engines. And as a final advantage, these systems are perfectly embedded in the H2 economy.FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH INNOVATION: MOBILITY WITH FUEL CELLSDR HELERSON KEMMER, PROJECT DIRECTOR, CORPORATE RESEARCH, ROBERT BOSCH GMBHPictured: Bosch combustion-engine components that can be used in fuel-cell systems: temperature, pressure, and air-flow sensors, throttle devices, control units042 INNOVATION TECHNOLOGY