Environment committee  Yes, absolutely. Thank you.

Environment committee  Today Canada is uniquely placed, with companies like Ballard and others. In Canada, we really have leadership in technology development and then we are providing.... Today at Ballard, we are exporting 100% of our fuel-cell systems outside of Canada. We sell our engines to U.S., China, as well as Europe.

Environment committee  You're right. To take action on greenhouse gas emissions, we need decarbonized hydrogen or low-carbon hydrogen. It's produced in two ways. Green hydrogen is produced by electrolysis involving renewable energy: hydroelectric, solar or wind power. Blue hydrogen is produced using natural gas.

Environment committee  That's a very good question. Our technology appeared a little too soon compared to other technologies. The electrification of electric vehicles also helps hydrogen. The decline in electric car costs is paving the way for hydrogen-based technology. We're seeing very rapid development.

Environment committee  You can reach cost-parity with diesel.

Environment committee  That's a very good question. I think we need to separate the vehicle from the energy source, that is, the the vehicle from the fuel cell. It is all about manufacturing. Volume will bring down the price and all of a sudden, the price of a fuel-cell engine will be comparable to manufacturing, or cheaper than manufacturing, a diesel engine.

Environment committee  I think it complements. We see hydrogen as a complement to electric vehicles, especially for heavy-duty applications for bus coaches and trucks. That is really where hydrogen will add value to the users. We see that as not complementing, but adding.

Environment committee  Thank you.

Environment committee  I mentioned Cummins. Cummins has done investment there. Then, as we know, GM has their own fuel-cell development program that they have accelerated lately.

Environment committee  It's a good question. I think it has changed a lot in the past 10 years. When we started 30 years ago at Ballard, it was very hard to find parts. It was probably too early. Nobody was developing those components. I'm thinking about the components outside of the core of fuel-cell stacks that we make at Ballard; components like the air compressor and DC/DC converters were not available.

Environment committee  Yes, and we are working with them—

Environment committee  Yes, we have seen that. We have seen Cummins, the largest manufacturer of diesel engines in North America, purchase Hydrogenics, a Canadian company, so we are seeing the consolidation and integration of some of the value chain in the automotive industry. I think that's something we are also seeing in Europe a lot.

Environment committee  Thank you very much. It's a good question. Today's technology is available for all types of vehicles from light duty to heavy duty vehicles. I think what is important is trying to identify what is the best case—the use case. Which application.... At the end of the day, it's electrification.

Environment committee  Absolutely. Those vehicles tend to have a much higher impact on the emissions compared to a personal car. They operate for longer times and they have more emissions. I think it's the same thing as the question that was asked before. We need to look at those total life cycle costs.

Environment committee  Good afternoon. My name is Nicolas Pocard. I am the director of marketing and strategy at Ballard Power Systems. Ballard is a technology company based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, that has been developing fuel-cell and hydrogen technology for the past 40 years. Today, I would like to highlight the key role that hydrogen will play in the decarbonization of the economy in Canada, especially when it comes to heavy-duty transportation.