Ministry of Transport provides funding for the “Fuel Cell Production” action plan. This is intended to make automotive suppliers fit for fuel cell technology.
With the “National Fuel Cell Production Action Plan”, the Fraunhofer Institute aims to improve the technical and economic potential of hydrogen technology and help it achieve a broad breakthrough. The Federal Ministry of Transport (BMVI) announced on Friday that it will fund this project with 80 million euros. The funds will primarily benefit the supplier industry for the automotive industry in order to build up capacities for the production of the necessary technology.
At present, hydrogen cars do not yet play a role in low-emission mobility. Just 28,000 fuel cell cars are on the road worldwide. By comparison, 48 million passenger cars are registered in Germany alone. In a joint press release, Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer expressed his confidence that Germany could be made a hydrogen country. According to Professor Reimund Neugebauer, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, hydrogen is a decisive factor for the energy turnaround that society as a whole is striving for.
If the project is successful, the demand for strategic raw materials will also increase significantly. Just as in battery-powered e-cars, neodymium is generally used for the motor of fuel cell cars. In addition, platinum or palladium are used as catalyst materials in the cell.
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