The Hydrogen Prism: Angles of EU Hydrogen Regulation for Sustainable Mobility

Hydrogen has been hailed as a fuel of the future, particularly in hard-to-abate fossil fuel intensive sectors, including in the heavy-duty transportation industry. As a result, the promotion of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen has increasingly become a key priority area within the European Union (EU) in support of its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The EU Hydrogen Strategy has highlighted that the development of a hydrogen economy will require a fit-for-purpose and enabling regulatory framework. The question then arises as to what role regulation can play in facilitating the adoption of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen fuels in the heavy-duty transportation sector. This article highlights three angles for regulation in this regard, namely: cohesiveness, risk mitigation and compliance. These three angles constitute the ‘Hydrogen Prism’, which refracts and reflects insights on the future regulation of hydrogen for sustainable mobility.