Worldwide Promotion and Deployment of Fuel Cell Vehicles

Fuel cell vehicles are an important part of vehicle related R&D programs worldwide since many years. Many scientists and car manufacturers see them as an optimal long-term solution for clean and efficient individual mobility. A series of large scale demonstration projects on passenger cars, buses, two wheelers and material handling vehicles are running worldwide. Against the background of the current economic boundary conditions and the situation of the vehicle industry in general, new technology options for the future have become even more important for the long term strategies. Looking on the current trends at the moment there seems strong interest (especially in the U.S.) in the probably more immediate solution with plug-in hybrid vehicles. The following paper provides an up-to-date, neutral and comprehensive overview on current trends in fuel cell vehicles worldwide, and provides an insight in current R&D programs and strategies.