Open letter from Scientists: Hydrogen cars risk derailing green credibility of Paris Olympics
The Paris Olympics are being used by Toyota to promote hydrogen cars, buses and other hydrogen vehicles as a solution to climate change. This is scientifically misaligned with net-zero. One of the reasons is that green hydrogen-powered vehicles require 3 times more electricity than battery electric vehicles for equivalent duty. They therefore require 3 times more renewable electricity generating capacity and they generate 3 times higher well-to-wheel CO2 emissions.
Some concerned colleagues and I have sent an open letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee; the President of Paris 2024 Olympics and the Director of Transport for Paris 2024. The letter was signed by more than 120 academics, scientists and engineers from around the world. You can read the letter at this link: Link to copy of the Open Letter.
We think that Toyota’s promoting hydrogen vehicles in this way is highly detrimental to international efforts to decarbonize transport, because billions of people around the world who watch the Olympics will be exposed to false and misleading information. It is now internationally accepted in industry and academia that electrification of vehicles is the most effective intervention to decarbonizing the transport sector.
David Cebon
Director, Centre for Sustainable Road Freight, 8/7/2024
