The study was commissioned by the Association of German Engineers (VDI) and the German Association of Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies (VDE). According to the study, battery-powered vehicles alone are not sufficient to achieve the German Federal Government’s energy and environmental policy goals. Fuel cell powered vehicles apparently have several advantages over battery technology, which has received the lion’s share of funding to date. Fuel cell refueling times are shorter and fuel cell vehicles can cover greater distances much more easily and cost-efficiently. They can also transport much higher payloads. Moreover, the authors regard the fact that the fuel cell has yet to reach the mass production stage as a “great opportunity for German manufacturers”.

In fact, industry has already been showing increasing interest in fuel cell development for some time now. The news magazine Spiegel , for example, reported that Deutsche Post plans to equip its electric transporter StreetScooter with a hydrogen drive. According to the automotive industry portal, recent media reports and policy decisions even indicate that the “future belongs to the fuel cell” in China.