European study finds public willingness to accept hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles
Thu 30 June 2005
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An EU-funded research study led by Imperial College has found that public concerns over hydrogen vehicle safety are not as significant as previously believed.
The AcceptH2 study, which also included academic and governmental organisations from Germany, Australia and the United States, carried out surveys to assess public acceptability and willingness to pay for hydrogen fuel cell buses in five cities , including London, where three such buses have been operating under the Clean Urban Transport for Europe (CUTE) EU-wide demonstration project.
The survey results show that public concerns over hydrogen safety are not as significant as many experts have believed. Only 20% of respondents reacted negatively when asked about their views on ‘hydrogen’. Concerns related to safety or explosiveness; but less than 1% of respondents mentioned the ‘Hindenburg’. For most people, hydrogen is viewed in neutral terms (a chemical, a fuel, etc).
The findings should reassure experts and policy makers who tend to regard safety as a key issue in securing public acceptability of hydrogen fuel and associated technology.
The survey found a surprising lack of knowledge amongst Londoners about hydrogen despite the CUTE-project buses. Less than half of London respondents (45%) had ever heard about hydrogen as a fuel for transport before the bus trials; when interviewed 6 months into the trials, the proportion had increased only to 49%. In fact, only 20% of respondents had heard about the hydrogen bus trials taking place in London, 6 months after they had started running .
Six months into the bus trials, over 70% of respondents expressed unconditional support for the introduction of hydrogen buses to London.
Unconditional support for the technology is not matched, however, by increased willingness to pay for the introduction of hydrogen buses. The survey results showed that bus users are willing to pay only a little more - between £25 and £44 extra per year - to support the large-scale introduction of hydrogen buses in London.
The findings suggest that the major challenge in terms of public acceptance of hydrogen and fuel cell technology is not to allay public concerns, but simply to inform the public. The results indicate that the hydrogen bus trials have had little impact on attitudes towards hydrogen, and a more extensive and concerted effort would be required to raise awareness.
Related Links
AcceptH2 project website
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