Invited by MEP Sabine Verheyen, David Bothe, Associate Director at Frontier (Europe), presented recent analyses by Frontier Economics on the future of mobility at a round table discussion in the European Parliament on February 20, 2019, on "The Hydrogen internal combustion engine – a future alternative?"

Around 40 participants from parliament, commission and industry learned that a successful mobility transition would require a systemic view that also considered energy supply. In his presentation, David Bothe emphasized that, from the point of view of the energy industry, there were four decisive factors that determined the success of an energy carrier, i.e. costs, technology, acceptance and security of supply. Considering these four points, David came to the conclusion: "If we want an energy transition that is both affordable and feasible, we cannot ignore chemical energy carriers such as hydrogen or synthetic fuels". Every new technology depended on an infrastructure. While a multiple of the current infrastructure would be required for a full electrification of transport, the existing infrastructure for chemical energy sources could also be used. "Instead of decommissioning infrastructures such as pipelines originally designed for fossil fuels, we should use them for other liquid and gaseous energy sources, such as hydrogen.”

Frontier Economics regularly advises clients on topics around energy and mobility transition.

For further information, please contact Miriam Rau at m.rau@frontier-economics.com or give us a call at +49 (0) 221 337 131 00