autoregion international ... Greater Region Mobility Innovation

11 With increasing demand for green mobility solutions, the automotive industry is expect- ed to go through a major technology shift within the next decade or so. Using hydro- gen as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel is central to transforming the sector. “Hydrogen is a key element for transitioning from our current energy mix to one that is renewable and fully decarbonised,” agrees Jean Schiltz, Head of Smart Mobility at the Ministry of the Economy. This is confirmed by the national hydrogen strategy that has recently been adopted by the Luxembourg government. It outlines the role of hydrogen in the decarbonisation of Luxembourg’s key sectors in the most energy-efficient way possible. “The first objective will be to benefit as much as possible from electrification, with hydro- gen as an essential complement,” says Mr Schiltz. “There are many transportation use cases and industrial processes for which electrification is not a suitable option. Hy- drogen also has a big role to play when it comes to decarbonising long-haul transport and heavy duty applications.” Hydrogen innovation for the mobility sector Several Luxembourg players are moving for- ward in the field. Gas control products and systems manufacturer Rotarex, for example, offers high-performance gas control valves designed for hydrogen in automotive appli- cations. Groupe Jourdan, which is special- ised in the heavy vehicles sector, is conduct- ing an R&D project aimed at transforming electric vehicles into zero-emission hybrid electric-hydrogen ones. Innovative start-up DMA Tech has developed an internal com- bustion engine using hydrogen as fuel. DMA’s technology makes it possible to adapt ordinary, existing engines to run on hydrogen instead of petrol or diesel. “Nor- mally, this process should generate high NOx-related pollution, but our innovation resolves this issue without using complex filtering systems on the exhausters,” com- ments founder and CEO Jacques Bouvy. “And the cherry on the cake is that we also in- crease the overall power.” Adapted engines generate high torque at low RPM, which makes DMA’s innovation suitable for trains, lorries, boats, power generators, and so on. After four years of development, the com- pany has resolved most technical issues and obtained patents in Europe and the US. Discussions with several industrial partners are under way, and Mr Bouvy welcomes the enthusiastic market response. “Numerous well-known constructors continue to invest heavily in combustion engines because of their excellent cost-ratio benefits, and we offer them a clean alternative. Our biggest competition is fuel cell, but while our pow- er-to-wheel efficiency is somewhat lower, it comes at one-third of the fuel cell cost. The engine market is huge and diversified, and for many business applications our solution will be better.” Industrial application Mobility is one of the priority sectors in the Luxembourg strategy – the manufacturing industry is the other. One of the country’s key players is international engineering com- pany Paul Wurth (part of the SMS Group) that provides technologies for the global ironmaking industry. “Coke-making and blast furnace processes are responsible for 85% of the CO2 emissions of steel produc- tion,” explains Assistant Vice-President Ingo Both, who is also Head of H2 / Low-carbon Ironmaking. “Our portfolio is central for our clients in their efforts to reduce their CO2 footprint.” In the past few years, the com- pany has been complementing its efforts to reduce plants’ fossil fuel or coal consump- tion and improve their energy efficiency by developing hydrogen-based solutions. In 2019, Paul Wurth took a 20% partic- ipation in German cleantech company Sunfire GmbH, which develops and pro- duces high-temperature electrolysers and