Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) has announced its latest results and progress in its drive to increase the usage of hydrogen within mobility. The pan-European project has now deployed close to 500 hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) and 30 hydrogen refueling stations (HRS) across Germany, France, Scandinavia, the UK, and other European countries. Vehicles have now traveled over eight million kilometers since the project began in 2015, with over five million of these happening in 2018.
Findings and conclusions from H2ME will be shared at the Hydrogen for Clean Transport mid-term conference, which will take place in Hamburg on October 25, 2019. Hamburg is the perfect location for the event as it has taken a strategic approach to adopting hydrogen, particularly in combination with renewable energies, launching a wide range of projects with ongoing local political support.
The H2ME initiative aims to support the commercialization of fuel cell and hydrogen technologies in Europe. As well as creating the world’s largest network of HRS, it is sharing best practice and standards between the 43 partners and helping develop attractive ownership models in use cases such as taxis, captive fleets, and in cities with strict environmental targets. In total, the project will deploy 49 HRS and 1,400 hydrogen fuel cell cars and vans by 2022.
The results generated by the project are shared with industry, politicians and the wider public to support the wider adoption of hydrogen mobility. As part of this, the Hydrogen for Clean Transport conference will showcase the advances made by hydrogen technology in the transport sector and discuss the remaining challenges working toward widespread commercialization. To celebrate the expanding network of stations in Europe, hydrogen-powered vehicles will be driving to the event from across Europe, arriving in Hamburg the day before the conference begins. For more details and to register for the event click here.
Ben Madden, director at Element Energy – project lead and coordinator, said, “Governments at a national and local level are putting in place concrete targets to reduce emissions and accelerate the switch to zero-emission mobility. The H2ME project demonstrates that hydrogen can play a central role in this shift, ensuring that all road users have the option to participate in the transition, thanks to its ability to provide fast refueling and long range. Today, we can already see an acceleration of the use of hydrogen as a fuel in heavy-duty and high-demand applications, such as taxis, delivery vehicles and trucks.”
Managing director of H2 Mobility Deutschland – German coalition lead, Nikolas Iwan, commented, “We are delighted the Hydrogen For Clean Transport Conference will be hosted in Germany, where 70 stations have already opened. H2 Mobility continues working on the expansion of its network in Germany with one H2 station opening every two weeks on average in 2019. We are looking forward to more and more customers who want emissions-free driving with the range and fueling times they are used to.”
Dirk Schaap, coordinator for hydrogen at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Watermanagement, the Netherlands – Dutch coalition lead, added, “The Dutch government and Dutch companies are increasingly looking at hydrogen for its potential in supporting the energy transition while creating economic opportunities. Hydrogen is increasingly considered a crucial energy carrier and sector integrator in Dutch climate policies. The private sector is planning for investments, for example, earlier this year, plans for a €2.8bn [US$3.1bn] investment in the large-scale application of sustainably generated hydrogen in the Northern Netherlands were announced. The H2ME project allows us to exchange ideas with other European stakeholders and understand the practicalities of preparing for hydrogen deployments.”
Jon Bjorn Skulason, MD of Icelandic New Energy – Scandinavian coalition lead, said, “The Scandinavian countries have been at the forefront of policies and deployment for zero-emission mobility and have also had to face some of the hurdles. The strong commitment of governments and private organizations has made deployment a success in the H2ME project and other initiatives and we expect this to continue moving forward. “
CEO of ITM power – UK coalition lead, Graham Cooley, commented, “The UK government is now preparing to end its contribution to global warming within 30 years by setting an ambitious new target to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. The importance of hydrogen in enabling the UK to meet this target was highlighted in the government report, which stated that ‘Low-carbon hydrogen moves from being a useful option to a key enabler. Updates to policy, alongside adoption of our recommended target, should reflect that’, reinforcing the contribution H2ME can make moving forward.”
Fabio Ferrari, CEO of Symbio – French coalition lead, said, “France will have nearly 2,000 trucks and more than 20,000 light commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen by 2028, with hydrogen technology recognized as a strategic value chain within Europe. The H2ME initiative is definitely a first step toward mass-market adoption, as only a huge growth in volumes and capacity will allow reduction in the price of the hydrogen stack and components to meet worldwide market expectations.”