" The hydrogen-powered aircraft is a tremendous opportunity for the French and European economies "In an article published in Journal du Dimanche On 11 April, Guillaume Faury, Augustin de Romanet and Ben Smith - Chairman of Airbus and ADP respectively, and Chief Executive Officer of Air France - sang praise for a technology in the spotlight recently.
Just a few days earlier, on 8 April, SNCF announced that it had placed an order with Alstom for 12 dual-mode electric-hydrogen train sets. This is being done on behalf of four regions - Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie - which will see these trains offering the same dynamic performance as the diesel-electric version in service by 2025.
Suitable for non-electrified lines, these low-noise trains that emit only water vapour should gradually push diesel trains into the sidelines. Is this the start of a major shift for a transport sector long addicted to fossil fuels? Alstom has no doubt that it is, commenting on the recent order as follows: " After trains using steam, thermal and then electric technologies, this is the start of a genuine revolution in rail mobility.. " In the same way, the aeronautics industry, faced with the challenges of climate change as well as the pressure to 'green' travellers' consciencesis also looking for ways to put an end to the era of the paraffin king.
Electricity, biofuels, synthetic fuels: several avenues are being explored together, with hydrogen among the latest to enter the race. " At Airbus, we are convinced that renewable energies must power the aviation of the future. And hydrogen is potentially the best way to achieve this" said Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus vice-president in charge of zero-emission aircraft, in January.
Also, Airbus has given itself 15 yearss to produce aircraft powered solely by this method. A goal announced in September 2020 at the same time as the unveiling three concepts These include the AirbusZEROe Turboprop, a propeller-driven aircraft designed for regional transport; the AirbusZEROe Turbofan, designed for short-haul flights; and the AirbusZEROe Blended Wing Body. The larger AirbusZEROe Blended Wing Body is based on the highly aerodynamic flying wing shape already envisaged by a prototype developed by the University of Delft in association with KLM.
Airbus competitor, Boeing is not following this strategy. When announcing the results for the last quarter of 2020, David Calhoun, CEO of the American aircraft manufacturer, explained that his company had a great deal of experience with hydrogen. However, " we're just experimenting with it, it won't be a significant market here. " For the head of Boeing, " one thing is clear: sustainable fuel will be the predominant aspect of Boeing's production plans for this decade" . The aircraft manufacturer also recently committed to building commercial aircraft capable of flying on sustainable 100 % fuels by 2030.
Conversely, while exploring the virtues of 'green' fuels, the European aviation giant is exploring the field opened up by hydrogen-based technologies. To the extent that electric aircraft projects have already been relegated to the status of obsolete projects. have appeared in recent years? It's highly likely that this will be the case in commercial aviation, with electric power retaining its legitimacy for smaller aircraft, and flying taxis in particular. " Larger aircraft require very high levels of energy per unit of mass, and battery technology has not progressed at the required speed to deliver a zero-emission aircraft within the ambitious timescale we have set ourselves. That's why we've started looking at other options, such as hydrogen." explained Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus' zero-emissions manager.
With Airbus on the aviation side and Alstom on the train side, France has two industrial champions capable of carving out a significant share of the market if hydrogen delivers on its promise. " France has everything it takes to become a hydrogen champion" said Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, Minister Delegate to the Minister for Ecological Transition, responsible for Transport. So it's hardly surprising that the development of the regional hydrogen train has received the backing of the French government, which is providing €47 million in funding for the project.
Another French initiative along these lines is the Future Energy Coalition, launched at the end of 2019 and supported by Emmanuel Macron. With green mobility on the horizon, it aims to accelerate the development of energies and technologies that will make it possible to reducing the climate impact of the transport and logistics sector. The coalition includes such big names as Airbus and PSA, as well as CMA CGM, ENGIE, Faurecia, Michelin, Schneider Electric and Total.
Little by little, the conditions for environmentally-friendly travel are being put in place. At the beginning of February, Airbus, the ADP group and Air France-KLM joined forces with the Ile-de-France region and its international promotion agency Choose Paris Region to launch a worldwide call for expressions of interest in order to developing the hydrogen sector at airports. " We need to start preparing today to welcome the hydrogen aircraft in 2035 by transforming our airports into veritable hydrogen hubs.said Edward Arkwright, deputy managing director of the ADP Group. Alongside other solutions, such as sustainable alternative fuels, the deployment of hydrogen aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of air transport."
Reviving the post-covid economy will undoubtedly involve accelerating the energy transition, and hence the decarbonisation of transport. While electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles are already a reality on the automotive side, other sectors are getting in on the act. In the United States, Switch Maritime is building a ferry powered by hydrogen fuel cells which is due to be tested this year in San Francisco Bay. In Norway, a large ship developed by PowerCell Sweden and the Havyard group should soon be plying the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Kirkenes. All of which opens up great prospects for cruises that respect marine ecosystems.
However, the most advanced sectors in this area are undoubtedly rail and urban transport. In Asia, the first hydrogen-powered tramway has already seen the light of day in China and another should appear in Korea by 2027, with the support of Hyundai. In Japan, East Japan Railway joined forces last year with Toyota and Hitachi to develop a sustainable train that will be tested by 2022.
But it is in Europe that this advance will take shape the earliest. A pioneer in technology, Alstom to bring its Coradia iLint train into service this yearthe world's first hydrogen fuel cell passenger train. Tested in Germany since September 2018, and having covered more than 180,000 kilometres in regular service, this train will officially run in the Bremen region of Lower Saxony. " This is where the story of hydrogen begins, and it's thanks to Alstom. We are witnessing the birth of the first industrially competitive product in the field of hydrogen mobility." commented Bernd Althusmann, Lower Saxony's Minister for Economic Affairs, when announcing the train's future entry into service.
Like Lower Saxony, other German Länder are also getting involved, notably Hesse, which is due to put the Coradia iLint on the rails around Frankfurt in 2022. In parallel, Deutsche Bahn has joined forces with Siemens to develop a hydrogen-powered train that will be tested in 2024 in the Baden-Württemberg region, between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim.
But interest in hydrogen-powered trains extends far beyond Germany and France. In 2020, Alstom's Coradia iLint was tested both in Austria, on geographically difficult routes, and in a less mountainous environment in the north of the Netherlands. In Italy, Lombardy's main public transport group FNM has placed an order for six iLint trainsets, while Alstom is also involved in the UK's rail greening plan, UK government aims for zero diesel by 2040compared with a third of trains today.
So is hydrogen a miracle solution? It still has many stages to go through before proving itself on a large scaleThese include the need to set up refuelling infrastructures along the roadside or near airports. Another challenge: lower costsIt requires a great deal of energy to produce, but no CO2 emissions if it is generated from renewable energy by electrolysis. As far as air travel is concerned, storage also remains a problem, as Glenn Llewellyn, Airbus vice-president in charge of zero-emission aircraft, explains: " Hydrogen tanks are larger and heavier than existing jet fuel tanks. This means that we will have to find innovative ways of integrating them into the aircraft. "Last but not least, hydrogen-powered means of transport will have to reassure passengers that they will be able to travel safely. safety of this highly flammable gas. This fear is unfounded, given the safeguards that have been put in place, industry insists.
