Local and global environment issues, as well as the consumption and supply of energy, are major challenges for the future. A fuel cell is an ideal device to generate electricity from either fossil or renewable fuels as it is clean and efficient. By using fuel-cell propulsion running on hydrogen, the vehicle has (local) zero emission.

For a fuel cell with fuel-processing technology used for propulsion or auxiliary power units (APU), major air pollutants will be substantially reduced. Hydrogen fuel cells are therefore increasingly seen as a potential propulsion technology of the future for road transport. Additionally, fuel-cell APUs - possibly coupled with on-board fuel reformers - are also seen as a promising technology for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles.

However, despite the potential of these technologies to reduce the environmental impact of road transport and to improve energy efficiency, both technical and economic barriers need to be overcome for them to be successfully introduced into mass markets.

Issues to work on are the fuel-cell stack, components and main subsystems including the fuel processor and auxiliary components, the fuel-cell system and the vehicle integration, as well as the choice of fuel with its implications for technology and infrastructure.

The components and sub-systems are considered as major bottlenecks for fuel-cell-based vehicle systems. HyTRAN is therefore largely focused on the development of the necessary components and sub-systems to make them meet the actual requirements derived from the implementation of two fuel-cell systems.