Government intervention is needed to drive demand for fuel cells, chemical and metals firm Johnson Matthey has said.
According to the firm further government regulations on emissions are needed to force the uptake of greener vehicles which use clean technologies such as fuel cells.
Speaking exclusively to news agency, Reuters, Martin Green, strategic fuel cell development director at Johnson Matthey said: "Hydrogen fuel cells are still developmental for the colossal markets but there is commercial market today for forklift trucks and telecom tower back-up power systems.”
Explaining that markets for fuel cell technology will take a long time without Government incentive, Green added: "Diesel car penetration took 40 years to get 50 percent in Europe. These sorts of transitions take a long time unless regulation is there," he said.
Fuel cells cars are not yet mass-produced. Only a handful of carmakers are even involved in developing fuel cell vehicles due to the cost involved and lack of infrastructure to support their use. Hyundai and Honda are among the few to plan fuel cell vehicles launches, with Hyundai planning to market them from 2013, while Honda aims to launch a small number by 2015.
According to Reuters, it is estimated that 5-10 million fuel cell cars will be on the roads within 15 years.
In the United States, California has a zero emission vehicle mandate that requires carmarkers to put 7,500 fuel cell or electric vehicles on the road in 2012-2015. According to Green, fuel cell vehicles will launch in the state as targeted ‘”because they have to, they are regulated to.”
Green explains that just as London has become the biggest market for hybrid vehicles thanks to their exemption from the Congestion Charge, so fuel cell vehicles, if properly incentivised will have a healthy market if they are supported through Government support and regulations.
The firm was awarded £500,000 from the UK government this year for a £2 million project to develop catalyst components which form the part of a fuel cell.
However using fuel cells in cars does come with other problems beyond market regulations. Green adds:"It is still too expensive. It would be $20,000 intrinsic cost into the vehicle rather than $5,000."
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