A leading figure in BMW in the UK has called for significant backing for hydrogen as a future alternative fuel, to avoid falling behind other counties.  

Jurgen Guldner is manager of hydrogen technology at BMW and has been quoted in the London Sunday Times saying, “If the UK government wants to decarbonise, it must get a hydrogen strategy, decarbonise the commercial vehicle sector and roll it out to passenger vehicles.”

Guldner said that the German car maker is ready to bring hydrogen vehicles to UK roads, but could not do so without a network of hydrogen filing stations in place. This is currently extremely limited. 

The statement from BMW follows calls from other companies for the UK government to develop a clear hydrogen strategy. In April JCB chairman Lord Banford said, “The government is ignoring the hydrogen opportunity, to prioritise battery technology. We need a similar commitment from the UK government to ensure that the hydrogen opportunity can be harnessed in this country, while helping to tackle climate change.”

BMW have already introduced an iX5 hydrogen model and sees this as a key technology to work alongside battery electric vehicles.