Little demand for fuel cell cars in Germany

Fuel cell cars are often portrayed as an alternative to battery electric cars, but there is hardly any demand in Germany, writes Lukas Bay in business daily Handelsblatt. A mere 386 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are registered in Germany, or 0.0006 percent of all 64.8 million, writes Bay. Reasons for the low demand are too few refuelling stations and the high price. “The pure hydrogen fuel cell car is still out of reach for the private customer,” said car industry expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer. Fuel cell cars are also seen as inefficient, as electricity is needed to produce hydrogen, which is then turned back into electricity in the car.

Germany has not managed to lower emissions in the transport sector at all, but is supposed to cut its transport emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The country must establish alternative drives for private cars to significantly cut road traffic emissions. Germany’s carmakers have largely decided on strategies favouring battery electric cars.