Presentation at The Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference 2024

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The Hydrogen Fuel Cells 2024 Conference was held in Los Angeles on June 5 and 6.

Jim Powell, President of TDG (dgtraining.com) and Vice Chair of the Dangerous Goods Trainers Association, Inc. (DGTA), delivered a presentation on the evolution of dangerous goods transport regulations for hydrogen-powered vehicles and traditional Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).

In his role as Vice Chair of the DGTA, which has consultative status at the United Nations Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods in Geneva, Powell described the roadmap for creating and revising international dangerous goods transport regulations. This information is crucial for manufacturers of hydrogen or battery-powered vehicles. It’s possible, if not likely, that regulations for hydrogen vehicles may evolve similarly to how rules for battery-powered vehicles have strengthened over the years. The presentation (which can be downloaded [insert link here]) included a comparison of multimodal transport regulations for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and lithium battery-powered vehicles.

Since many attendees were also involved with lithium battery electric vehicles, Powell outlined plans for this summer’s UN meeting (Jay Johnson, DGTA director, and Powell will participate in the delegation). At this meeting, a proposal for lithium and sodium batteries will be discussed, potentially establishing new hazard divisions, hazard categories (letters A through H plus X), UN numbers, and proper shipping names. For information on that meeting, visit www.dgta.org. As this is just a proposal, those wishing to provide input can email info@dgta.org.

Additionally, there is an existing proposal from ICAO to limit the state of charge of battery-powered vehicles to 30% of actual or 25% of indicated state of charge. This proposal may be extended to lithium batteries contained in or packed with equipment, which would have a significant impact on worldwide lithium battery shipping.

To stay updated on these changes, you can contact TDG through their website, www.dgtraining.com, or email sales@dgtraining.com. TDG has been in business for 32 years and has trained over 100,000 students in Air, Ocean, and Highway transportation of dangerous goods.

For trainers interested in more information about the Dangerous Goods Trainers Association, Inc., please email info@dgta.org.

Download a copy of the presentation here.