BMW poised to launch hydrogen cars by 2030 – but warns UK is lagging behind

BMW is set to launch hydrogen cars by the end of the decade but says that the UK risks lagging behind the technology.

Speaking at a recent hydrogen tech summit, BMW’s general manager for hydrogen technology, Dr Juergen Guldner, said that he would like to see the UK government ‘get behind’ hydrogen fuel by putting its backing behind a filling station network.

At present, the UK has just 12 hydrogen filling stations but this number dropped last year after Shell shuttered three, citing a ‘lack of confidence’ in the alternative fuel.

Shell has previously planned to expand the three sites – which were previously located at Cobham, Gatwick and Beaconsfield – throughout Britain, stating in early 2020 that it was working towards the opening of three more sites by the end of 2021. They failed to materialise, however, as Shell believed that hydrogen fuel cell cars still didn’t appeal to the public.

In contrast, Japan already has 164 operational hydrogen filling stations and has plans to expand this to 1,000 by 2030. In Europe, there are already plans to ensure that all major highways have access to hydrogen filling stations as well as for towns with more than 100,000 residents.

Dr Guldner told Car Dealer: “I think the UK government actually does have a role, at least in including hydrogen in its mobility strategy.

“When the UK government has a hydrogen strategy, there will be a lot of industry players that are willing to invest, that are willing to build a hydrogen economy, from production to pipeline transport, all the way to mobility and stations. But I think it’s lacking a little bit of public support.”

Dr Guldner said the UK was for a long time ‘on par’ with Europe when it came to hydrogen plans, but that is not the case any more.

He added: “Just make sure you’re not falling behind. I’m not going to advise the UK government, or the UK society, on what to do, but just make sure you don’t get left behind.”