The EV Investor Club breakfast briefing on 8 March will be hosted by K&L Gates, in London. The event will focus on recent initiatives to promote hydrogen fuel cells in the automotive industry.

Fuel cell electric vehicles have come under the spotlight recently in the UK, with the launch of the  UKH2 Mobility project. Speaking at the launch in January, Business Minister, Mark Prisk, commented that:

“Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are increasingly being recognised as one of the viable options as we move to a lower carbon motoring future."

H2 Mobility aims to equip the UK for the commercial roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles. The project involves three government departments and industrial partners, including:

• Air Liquide Hydrogen Energy, SA
• Air Products PLC
• Daimler AG
• Hyundai Motor Company
• Intelligent Energy Limited
• ITM Power PLC
• Johnson Matthey PLC
• Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Limited
• Scottish and Southern Energy PLC
• Tata Motors European Technical Centre PLC
• The BOC Group Limited
• Toyota Motor Corporation
• Vauxhall Motors

The H2 Mobility project will develop an action plan for an anticipated roll-out of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to consumers in 2014/15. This event will provide a briefing for investors on the implications of the H2 Mobility launch for the UK automotive industry. Topics to be discussed will include:

• The future role of hydrogen and fuel cells in the automotive industry;
• The differences and similarities between battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles;
• The extent to which hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles share a large proportion of the electric motor and drivetrain technology with other electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles;
• Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles as part of a portfolio of solutions (the Automotive Council Roadmap identifies a pathway where fuel cell electric vehicles will complement hybrid and battery electric vehicles and more efficient internal combustion engines).

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Speakers will include:

Dennis Hayter - VP Business Development at Intelligent Energy and Chairman of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association.

Intelligent Energy, one of the founders of H2 Mobiilty, has developed a fuel cell/battery hybrid black cab and is involved in a project to deliver a fleet of fuel cell taxis in London ahead of the 2012 Olympics, in a consortium which includes Lotus Engineering, London Taxis International and TRW Conekt. The company recently announced plans to bring to market a low emission delivery vehicle by 2014, through IE Low Emission Vans Limited and its US based subsidiary, Emerald Automotive.Intelligent Energy has worked with the Suzuki Motor Corporation since 2006 and recently created a 50/50 joint venture company, SMILE FC System Corporation, to develop and manufacture air-cooled fuel cell systems for a range of industry sectors, in partnership wtih Suzuki. The joint venture also includes a non-exclusive license agreement that gives Suzuki access to Intelligent Energy’s class-leading fuel cell technology for its next generation of environmentally friendly fuel cell vehicles.

Dan Carter - Manager, Fuel Cell Today

Dan joined Fuel Cell Today in January 2011, having worked as an industry analyst for more than five years at Johnson Matthey researching and forecasting the automotive, electronics, chemicals and fuel cell industries. Dan is a chemist by training and graduated with an MChem (Hons) from the University of Wales, Swansea and a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Nottingham. His thesis in the field of green chemistry focussed on the replacement of toxic organic solvents in the chemical industry with environmentally benign alternatives.