Biofore Magazine 2020

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TECH HUB

also evaluating its feasibility and how tomake it cost-efficient,” he says. This underscores the ver- satility and advantages of utilising clean hydrogen. “You can store it, convert it, use it directly or indirectly, and it can bring sectors like electricity, gas, heat and traffic together. We must make better use of what we have,” stresses Hoffmann.

Integration of renewable hydrogen into a multiproduct refinery that pro- duces renewable fuels might be one of the most likely scenarios for hydrogen technologies inFinland. Froma storage and transportationpoint of view, bio- or e-fuels are evenmore viable than pure hydrogen. “Europe is the driver here. It has these initiatives, like the Green Deal, and is far more aware of these environmental topics,” notes Ilvespää. “It is about creating a market that makes it a good business in which to invest. This is the chance for Europe to be a leader in this economy and technology.” Riversimple driving the green transport revolution

“This is the chance for Europe to be a leader in this economy and technology.”

R iversimple first made headlines in 2009 with its ground-breaking hy- drogen-powered urban car, which demonstrated that hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) could drive the green transport revolution. With water as its only by-product, the prototype not only showcased technological possibilities but fuelled optimism that carbon emissions could be reduced. Since then, the self-styled ‘sustainable car company’ has developed the concept into the two-seater Rasa, a road-legal en- gineering prototype that the Wales-based

firm describe as a ‘Network Electric’ car – meaning that energy is networked around the car and can flow in any direction on any path apart fromback into the fuel cell. Designed by renowned car designer Chris Reitz , the eco coupé can reach 0–60 mph in 9.7 seconds, boasts a range of 300miles and only takes three minutes to refuel. “Every aspect has been created and interrogated for simplicity, efficiency, lightness, strength, affordability, safety and sustainability,” according to River- simple. Despite being the only hydrogen elec- tric car manufacturer in the UK, the com- pany doesn’t actually sell cars. In fact, they retain ownership and offer mobility as a service, mak- ing them the first car

company to adopt a circular service-based ownershipmodel. With this approach, their objective “to pursue, systematically, the elimination of the environmental impact of personal transport” is supported, especially since the UK government is being urged to ramp up its development of hydrogen as part of its decarbonisation strategy. One solution to this is to make efficiency prof- itable, according to Riversimple’s founder Hugo Spowers . “The principal barriers are not tech- nical, but to do with people, politics and business inertia,” he writes on the compa- ny’s website. “If wemake the pursuit of ef- ficiency a source of profit, the technology is available to transform the carbon per- formance of our vehicles. I’m not saying that it’s easy, there’s a lot of work to do, but technology is not one of the showstoppers, although it does unfortunately dominate the debate.”