Do you want to build this hydrogen infrastructure in North America first?
Michael Lohscheller: In North America and then also with partners in Europe, because infrastructure and energy are always the most important things. People love our truck. But then the question remains: How expensive is the whole thing and do I have the infrastructure? can i load do i have hydrogen That’s the bottom line.
And the question of where the hydrogen comes from. In the course of the whole e-mobility discussion, one gets the feeling that nuclear power might be experiencing a renaissance once more. How do you see the chances that this will be the future?
Michael Lohscheller: Zigzag courses never help. You have to keep a straight line for once. And of course it would be helpful if we now comply with them for hydrogen and also do them. Everything has a lead time and you have to invest. If you say: Now let’s change our minds and in five years we’ll do it once more – then nothing will come of it, you won’t be able to stop climate change. You have to stick to the direction, politically and also economically.
Do you miss the commitment to hydrogen?
Michael Lohscheller: No, I see an incredible amount of support for hydrogen in the USA. The Americans really go in, so don’t spill it – splurge! The amount of support there now is sensational. And we in Europe? We always pretend: “Oh, the Americans. Environmental protection is not important to them.” But when they tackle something, they do it properly. While we are so small… In Austria, for example, I would like a hydrogen truck to be allowed to drive on Sundays. I don’t know who to talk to now. We’ll probably have to ask in Europe, because nothing more can be decided. I would also like it to be said clearly: When will the diesel end?
But that is already sealed that the 2040 is also history in heavy traffic.
Michael Lohscheller: But not complete yet. So there are still signs of life and alternative options. Would you say it’s definitely 2040?
I don’t quite believe it yet. But I would have already seen the legal basis that way.
Michael Lohscheller: Okay, but what I’m getting at is: we do need a bit of planning horizon, and we also need some perks that make it attractive. An example: They often have to wait in the ports of this world. It takes you three or four hours to get rid of a container. The port of Houston, Texas, has established a fast lane for electric trucks. If you are an entrepreneur and you no longer have to wait hours in the port, then this is interesting. In Germany, for example, I would like hydrogen and electric trucks to also be able to drive on Sundays. That would have many advantages: there are fewer traffic jams, it is more economical for entrepreneurs and many things would be straightened out. There would probably also be fewer car and truck accidents.
Ultimately, what you are talking regarding is also a type of promotion. But you avoided my question regarding nuclear energy: Is that a concept that nuclear energy is converted into hydrogen for transport?
Michael Lohscheller: There are plenty of ways to produce hydrogen cheaply. I don’t know whether the nuclear energy debate needs to be opened once more. That doesn’t seem sensible to me.
Thank you for the interview!
