European Parliament Adopts Hydrogen Vehicle Type Approval and Calls for
Infrastructure Support
On September 3rd, the European Parliament backed
European Commission proposals to boost the development of hydrogen
vehicles, but warned that the strategy would fail without concrete
measures to support the establishment of a Europe wide filling station
network for hydrogen powered vehicles.
"Hydrogen powered vehicles are unlikely to be successful on the market
unless adequate filling station infrastructure is available in Europe.
The Commission should therefore look into suitable measures to support
the establishment of a Europe wide filling station network for hydrogen
powered vehicles," states the report, which calls on the EU to boost its
hydrogen research activities under the Seventh Framework Research Programme.
The European Commission welcomes today's support of the European
Parliament (EP) for its proposal to simplify the approval of hydrogen
powered vehicles. This will mark a step forward in the development and
marketing of clean and safe hydrogen vehicles. As a result, they will be
seen more often on Europe's streets and the European automotive industry
could become more competitive by taking the lead in hydrogen technology.
The EP vote is based on a compromise reached with the Member States,
which is expected to adopt the package shortly.
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