Just as the  COVID 19 virus spread bad news to its vehicle emissions, the US Department of Energy extended the deadline of a H2Rescue solicitation to April 30, 2020. The call  is supporting the development of H2Rescue – a fuel cell/battery hybrid truck that first responders could mobilize to provide sufficient hydrogen to provide power, heat, and even potable water for up to 72 hours. 

H2 the Rescue also in the Netherlands as the Dutch minister of Economic Affairs and Climate, Eric Wiebes, on March 30, 2020 in the midst of the Dutch outbreak presented his Hydrogen Vision in a letter to the Dutch Parliament: green gas will provide 30% of the Dutch final energy consumption by  2050, 337 tot 775 PJ.  The Dutch government sees the bigger roll out of H2 in NL as part of a bigger NorthWest European effort.

H2 the Rescue in yet another green initiative of  the EU Parliament French centrist MEP Pascal Canfin, who chairs the European Parliament’s committee on environment and public health on April 14  launching a “green recovery alliance” .  The alliance al brings together In addition 79 MEPs from across the political spectrum, civil society groups, including 37 CEOs, 28 business associations, the European trade union confederation, 7 NGOs and 6 think tanks. It comes days after EU environment ministers launched an appeal for the European Green Deal to be placed at the heart of the EU’s post-pandemic recovery plan.

H2 the Rescue  in  the “Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy”, part of a €1 trillion package to make the European economy greener by 2030. In presenting  a public consultation on April 9, 2020 Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Commission’s executive vice-president in charge of the economy said:  “We are currently battling the coronavirus outbreak, but we must not lose sight of our long-term sustainability objectives, including making Europe climate-neutral by 2050”.Creating a more sustainable and resilient economy will be a key focus of the recovery phase and the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy will be essential to mobilising much-needed capital.”

H2 the Rescue also in “a comprehensive recovery plan” that integrates green and digital aspects that was approved at the last EU Council on March 26, 2020  . EU institutions should “start to prepare the measures necessary to get back to a normal functioning of our societies and economies,” said the final communiqué adopted by the 27 EU leaders after a video conference call. Such measures should promote “sustainable growth,” the statement added, “integrating inter alia the green transition and the digital transformation, and drawing all lessons from the crisis.”

Photo: Courtesy FuelCellWorks H2 Mobile Rescue vehicle