18 October 2002: Fuel cells will take over from all other automotive alternative power proposals by 2005 according to a new forecast, and the market is expected to be worth $8.5 billion by 2011.

The study, Fuel Cells For Vehicles: Market Opportunities And Forecasts 2005-2011, published by Wintergreen, also says that fleet vehicle markets will evolve first, and vehicle fuel cell markets at $40.5 million in 2005 represent the beginning of commercial introduction of cars that use fuel cell systems.

Commercialization challenges for the automotive fuel cell industry relate to making vehicle fuel cells cost competitive with existing petrol engines. The most difficult challenges still to be overcome by developers are low-cost fuel infrastructure and the range of FC vehicles. Other challenges include cost reduction, component integration complexity reduction, and increasing safety.

The study involved more than 200 interviews with companies involved in automotive technologies, ranging from major car manufacturers through oil companies to specialist fuel cell manufacturers and component suppliers.