A petrol station in the outskirts of Berlin. A motorist stops to refuel. He takes down the pistol, connected to a curious machine stuffed with dials. Suddenly, a purring: the hydrogen flows freely in the tank. A few minutes later, our man left behind the wheel of his electric car. No noise, no CO2 emission. Zero pollution.
Science fiction? Not at all. This "hydrogen station" does exist. Built by Total at the end of 2002, on an experimental basis, it allows the oil group to carry out full-scale tests on this energy of the future. "The first results are encouraging, but we are still in the very early stages," comments Jean-Michel Gires. According to the French giant's Mr. Sustainable Development, it will take a good twenty years before overcoming the innumerable problems that stand in its way. But twenty years in the oil world is already tomorrow. And the majors (BP, ExxonMobil, Shell, Total ...) are actively preparing for it. By focusing on hydrogen, but also on other alternative energies, by delaying the end of the golden age of crude as much as possible, by forging new strategic alliances in promising countries, and even, finally, by s inventing new professions in energy services.
Extract from the Expansion .... only problem, it is the oil companies which develop and launch this energy when it becomes profitable for them, not when the Earth will give worrying signs of warming (it is already well started!).