Worldwide, the number of attempts and efforts to develop and test hydrogen-related technology in vehicles and implement the necessary hydrogen supply infrastructure has been increasing tremendously in recent years, resulting in numerous hydrogen demonstration and lighthouse projects around the globe. In this chapter, first a brief summary of this development is presented, while recognising that this can only be a snapshot, as development is very quick and the information provided here can rapidly become outdated. Next, international roadmapping activities that show possible developments towards the introduction of hydrogen are described. Finally, the issue of social acceptance of hydrogen technology and the need for regulations and standards, are briefly discussed, since these are important factors for the hydrogen penetration and infrastructure transition process.

Hydrogen in the transport sector

With a share of more than 80% in total energy use in the transport sector, the automotive sector is the driving force for the introduction of hydrogen as fuel. Hence, the focus of hydrogen-vehicle manufacturing is on passenger cars and buses. Heavy-goods vehicles are not in the spotlight, as neither fuel cells nor hydrogen combustion engines are likely to manage a breakthrough in this market segment any time soon, because of the dominance and high performance of the diesel engines for long-transport applications.