The Directive on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (DAFI), was adopted by the European Parliament and the Council on 29 September 2014.

The Directive :

Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are being introduced in cities across Europe to help improve local air quality by encouraging owners of the most polluting vehicles to clean up exhaust emissions. LEZs are areas where the most polluting vehicles are regulated. Usually this means that vehicles with higher emissions cannot enter the area. In some low emission zones the more polluting vehicles have to pay more if they enter the low emission zone. All low emission zones affect heavy duty goods vehicles (usually over 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW)), and most affect buses and coaches. 

Standard is a document that sets out requirements for a specific item, material, component, system or service, or describes in detail a particular method or procedure.

Code is a document that describes the end-result – what a product should conform to- rather than how it should be done.

Codes and standards are not mandatory- they are optional - in contrast to regulations that are mandatory.

Codes and standards on European level are developed and issued by CEN (European Committee for Standardization) or CENELEC (European committee for Electro-technical Standardization).

On the international level, their counterparts are ISO (International Standards Organization) and IEC (the International Electro-technical Commission). 

Within these organisations, the preparation of the standards belongs to the TC’s (technical committees) that work on the basis of national participation by the CEN members (NSB’s - National Standardization Body). The real standard development is done by a WG (working group).  A working group is established by the technical committee to undertake a specific task within a target date.

CEN and ISO, and CENELEC and IEC work closely together, as is arranged by the Vienna Agreement established in 1991 and revised in 2001.

The most relevant TC’s for hydrogen and its applications within CEN/CENELEC and ISO/IEC and the relevant regulations are: 

Hydrogen has unique physical and chemical properties which present benefits and challenges to its successful widespread adoption as a fuel.

Fuel Cell Electric Buses are new and have other specifications than traditional diesel buses.

Risk analyses have been worked out to do an inventory of all risks related to these new vehicles for the different daily operations.

Risk reduction measures in the bus:

Safety measures while refuelling at the hydrogen station:

In a building where the bus is located for maintenance, parking or other purposes, the following general rules are applicable:

The ATEX directive, describing what equipment and work environment is allowed in an environment with an explosive atmosphere. There are two ATEX directives (one for the manufacturer and one for the user of the equipment):

​HyResponder is a ‘Coordination and Support Action (CSA)’ project supported by EC Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking and aiming to establish the World’s first European Hydrogen Emergency Response training programme for First Responders, to facilitate safer deployment of FCH systems and infrastructure.

Local actors may source match-funding for financing their fuel cell buses deployments from funding bodies at a regional,national or European level.

On 8 November 2017, the European Commission presented a clean mobility package, consisting of legislative proposals on road transport vehicles, infrastructures and combined transport of goods, non-legislative measures presented in an alternative fuels action plan, and a communi

The Clean Bus Deployment Initiative was launched by the European Commission in July 2017. With the Paris climate agreement in force, the EU is more than ever committed to a global transition towards a low carbon economy.

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