There is broad consensus that, because the FCEV market is still in its infancy and the challenges above are varied and come under the purview of different stakeholders, driving the uptake of FCEVs is a mission that cannot be achieved by the automotive industry alone.
There are existing groups, or consortia, that have been influential in either laying the groundwork and setting out a strategy for developing the UK FCEV market (i.e. long-term roadmapping) or undertaking deployment and demonstration projects in conjunction with European partners (i.e. medium-to-long-term projects). UKH2M is an important example of the former, while HyFIVE, HyTEC and Hydrogen London are among the latter.
There is however a lack of an all-inclusive group of key stakeholders convened to overcome near-term barriers, many of which are articulated above, that could hold back FCEV uptake in the here and now. Discussions and consultations held with SMMT members, i.e. FCEV manufacturers and fuel cell technology companies, UKH2M, the British Compressed Gas Association (BCGA) and its members, the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) revealed a clear appetite for SMMT to convene such a group to help advance this common agenda.
