There are two types of commercialized zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) available to consumers today, the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) and the battery electric vehicle (BEV). Both types of vehicles support greenhouse gas reductions, improve local air quality, and reduce reliance on oil. Many automakers are now investing in fuel cells as an essential technology to create consumer-friendly zero-carbon transportation options.

With all the news on climate change just this month – G7 agreement to decarbonization, Pope Francis’s encyclical on climate change, and a multi-country effort for post-2020 climate action – it’s time to understand the world of climate data.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) requires importers and producers of transportation fuel to include percentages of various kinds of renewable fuel in the overall volume they import or produce each year. Importers and producers may acquire fuel credits known as Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) to demonstrate that they have met the requirement. On July 2^nd the EPA qualified additional fuel pathways to include hydrogen generated from biogas projects for powering fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). This addition is a critical first step toward the 2022 Renewable Volume Obligation (RVO) of 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels used in transportation. The RVO obligation represents an increase of cellulosic biofuel use in U.S. transportation by 2,666 times from 2013 levels.

Nearly 70% of the companies participating at this year’s Hydrogen + Fuel Cells + Batteries Group Exhibit (Europe’s largest hydrogen, fuel cells and battery exhibition) at the Hannover Fair, are from New England states. As reported in PRWeb, Connecticut Department of Economic & Community Development Commissioner, Catherine Smith, commented on the impressive hydrogen and fuel cell leadership of Northeast region: “The renewable energy sector in particular is an emerging area of strength…cutting-edge companies [positioned as] leaders in this growing industry.”

It’s an exciting time in the automotive industry. That excitement is doubled for those of us in the hydrogen and fuel cell industry. Word has gotten out that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will soon launch a campaign called H2USA that will give hydrogen and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) a well-deserved boost.