cars news 10: Toyota to Help Lead New Global Council to Advance Hydrogen Adoption

Toyota remains dedicated to hydrogen fuel cell technology, and now the automaker will help lead a global Hydrogen Council to help accelerate the adoption of the clean-energy source.

The council is made up of 13 CEOs and executives from various industries. Representing the automotive industry are Toyota, BMW, Daimler, Honda, and Hyundai. The council is led by two co-chairs, currently representatives from Toyota and gas provider Air Liquide.

The group officially launched and met earlier this week to unveil its goals. Among them is to increase infrastructure, the biggest obstacle facing hydrogen adoption in the near future. The council also hopes to assist governments around the world in drafting legislation to boost hydrogen use for all industries including energy, transportation, industrial, and residential. Altogether, the group claims its efforts will amount to approximately $1.5 billion a year in hydrogen investments.

According to a report released by the council, fossil fuels are responsible for 82 percent of today’s global energy consumption. Renewable energy and nuclear sources are still a relatively small part of that pie at 14 and 4 percent, respectively. With that said, the council predicts the adoption of renewables will increase by three to five times by 2050.

The council points out that hydrogen will play a key part in meeting the 2015 Paris Agreement involving 195 countries that have agreed to curtail climate change. A key part of that deal is to prevent global warming from surpassing 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Meeting that goal will require a drastic transition away from fossil fuels to renewables.

Toyota, along with Honda and Hyundai, are among the first automakers to introduce hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Other automakers are also investing in fuel cell technology including BMW, which has a technical partnership with Toyota.

Source: Toyota, Hydrogen Council