Shell to roll-out large hydrogen pump network in Germany

Shell has signed a declaration of intent with Germany’s federal transport minister Alexander Dobrindt and its H2 Mobility Germany partners Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, and Total on October 13 to start installing a vast network of hydrogen fuel stations across Germany by 2016, according to a company release.

Shell, which currently operates one hydrogen pump in Berlin and two in Hamburg, aims to roll-out the low-carbon alternative transport fuel at around 400 locations across the country by 2023.

The first four new fuelling locations the oil giant is anticipating to set up are existing retail sites in Frankfurt, Wuppertal, Geisingen, and Wendingen.

“It will take technical innovation and bold policies to transform the global energy system into a progressively cleaner, less carbon-intensive one. H2 Mobility Germany shows what we can achieve through close collaboration between governments and business. The next step is for consumers to embrace this opportunity and consider buying hydrogen vehicles as they become available,” said Oliver Bishop, General Manager of Hydrogen at Shell.

The company is also looking into the possibility of extending the network to other European countries such as United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Shell is also assessing the potential of more stations in the United States, where it has two demonstration hydrogen filling stations in Los Angeles that allow it to evaluate a range of technologies, drive down costs, and better understand consumer behaviour.