Overview

The HyPath Symposium and Summit
Commercialisation of Hydrogen Powered Buses

Hydrogen powered buses have the potential to form the basis for an emission free transport system.


Given the global lead that European companies have established in the development of this technology, Hydrogen powered buses also have the potential to provide an important “innovation platform” for the economic development envisioned in the Lisbon Strategy.


The HyFLEET:CUTE Partners are planning to hold a HyPath Symposium and Summit to facilitate the commercialisation of Hydrogen Powered Buses. HyPath will develop and publish a Detailed Road Map for Implementation which will be negotiated and agreed by all participating stakeholders – from Industry, the Market and from the Political arenas.


While all these stakeholders generally have similar objectives – to facilitate the implementation of hydrogen powered buses – it is apparent that bringing them together to share expectations, constraints and ambitions and to work on a collaborative implementation plan has the potential to significantly speed the implementation process.


HyPath will involve some 300 invited senior stakeholders. They will take part in a year long negotiation and consultation process which will involve both face to face meetings as well as electronic discussion forums and negotiations. The process will culminate in the publication of the Detailed Road Map at a public Summit in late 2008.


The HyPath process is planned to commence in late 2007 when personal invitations will be issued to senior decision makers including Government Ministers, Chief Executives, City Mayors, and Community opinion leaders. Organisations represented will include automotive manufacturers and suppliers, infrastructure providers and energy suppliers, and potential customers.


The Process will continue throughout 2008 to enable detailed consultation and discussions and negotiations between the stakeholders. The objective is to produce a Detailed Road Map which is agreed by all parties and contains concrete commitments, and timeframes for action.


A key event in the process will be a large scale consultation process – the symposium - which is a face to face meeting aided by computer systems giving real time feedback to all participants in the room. This process is sometimes called a 21st Century Dialogue and has been used highly successfully in several consultation processes such as the community discussions to determine the use of the area of the World Trade Towers in New York, and more recently, as part of the World Economic Forum discussions in Davos.
A more detailed outline of the HyPath Process is available at the CONSULTATION PROCESS PAGE and can be downloaded in ENGLISH and GERMAN can be downloaded from the CURRENT PAPERS PAGE.

HyPath has received support from key Government and industry bodies which will collaborate and support the process. These include:
• The Advisory Council of the European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Platform
• The Chair of the Industry Grouping of the Joint Technology Initiative on Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
• The Hydrogen Bus Alliance - an alliance of some 9 city bus companies which have banded together to try to speed the implementation of hydrogen powered buses.


The German Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs has also committed to support the process through the facilitation of meetings during the various stages of the process. This will occur in collaboration with the German National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Programme.


HyPath has the potential to increase momentum in the development of hydrogen powered buses. While the technology has developed very fast, and the European programmes have been world leaders, the path is not clear nor agreed between all the stakeholders. There is a real risk that the technology and innovation lead that Europe has established might be overtaken by the developments in Japan, China and North America.


The European Commission’s Lisbon Strategy established strong strategies for the future development of Europe in the face of increasing international competition. It provides an excellent framework within which the quality of life for all European citizens can be enhanced by addressing the key issues of employment, environmental and human health, and climate change.


Hydrogen powered buses have the potential to make a strong positive contribution to these objectives. HyPath will be the vehicle through which this contribution can be realised quickly.