The Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) has welcomed the Federal Government’s move towards decarbonising the country’s transport sector through expansion of its Future Fuels Fund but believes more can be done to drive the transition.
The AHC says the larger $250 million Future Fuels Fund will be critical to enabling the roll-out of hydrogen refuelling and electric vehicle charging infrastructure in cities and across regional Australia however further market incentives and fuel emissions standards should be introduced to accelerate Australia’s transition to zero emissions vehicles.
“Today’s announcement is fundamental to a greener future because decarbonisation of the transport sector is paramount to reaching net zero”, said the CEO of the Australian Hydrogen Council, Dr Fiona Simon,
“Transport is Australia’s second largest emitter, making up 19 per cent of greenhouse emissions,” Dr Simon said.
“We know that fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) will work alongside battery electric vehicles (BEVs) to power the new generation of road transport,” she added.
“Clean hydrogen is already well placed to compete with incumbent fuels such as diesel. As the National Hydrogen Strategy notes, hydrogen fuel carries significantly more energy than the equivalent weight of batteries.
“This is particularly important for buses and trucks that travel long distances, or where battery weight compromises effective payload. Hydrogen is also suitable for commercial use where effective range and recharging/refuelling times affect the bottom line.
“We now need to coordinate and plan to ensure that our roads, ports, electricity and gas infrastructure can be optimised to support clean road transport and introduce appropriate fuel standards to incentivise the transition.
“We look forward to working with Government to ensure that Australian consumers have choice when it comes to accessing the new transport technologies,” concluded Dr Simon.
