According to new analysis, under the Technology Innovation Needs Assessments (TINAs), hydrogen technologies could deliver UK transport with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions whilst reducing dependence on imported oil and curtailment of renewable generation. By 2050 up to half of UK light duty vehicles could be fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) running on hydrogen.

Innovation across the technology chain, from hydrogen production to fuel cell electric vehicles, could reduce the cost of delivering these benefits by up to £80bn from 2020 to 2050. Investment could also create UK industries with the potential to contribute economic value of up to £26bn to 2050 via global sales of products and services, with a further economic benefit of up to £23bn to 2050 via producing transport fuel in the UK from UK primary energy sources.

However, these technologies face some difficult challenges, in terms of cost, performance and policy, which they will need to overcome rapidly to achieve a successful roll-out by 2020.

The work has been undertaken for the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG), which is made up of the major UK public-sector funders of low carbon innovation including the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Carbon Trust, the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and other organisations with significant low carbon innovation interests.

The Technology Innovation Needs Assessment (TINA) analytical framework was developed and implemented by the Carbon Trust with contributions from all core LCICG members as well as input from numerous other expert individuals and organisations.

Read more: Hydrogen for Transport TINA