A new dawn for hydrogen mobility in Europe

With the EU’s commitment to hydrogen stations every 200km on major roads, the industry now sees a positive sign to push forward with the development of a hydrogen mobility ecosystem. OEMs, suppliers, energy companies and organizations all see a clear path to introduce hydrogen and FCEVs in the mobility ecosystem.

Hydrogen is the single most abundant substance in the universe. It has been used for a wide variety of purposes, including in the very first internal combustion engines as an inflammable fuel. Twenty years after the first public hydrogen station opened, it could finally be time for the lightest element to power our transport.

At the end of 2022, 814 hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) were in operation worldwide. Concrete plans are already in place for 315 additional refuelling station locations, according to Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH. Drivers of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can now fuel up at 37 countries. FCEVs, including passenger cars, trucks and buses, are powered by electricity and produce only water vapour as a tailpipe emission. Although at a slow pace, H2 is quickly becoming a market reality with governments and energy companies making commitments to fueling infrastructure and hydrogen production.

Last month, the European Union reached an agreement for the deployment of Alternative Fuels Infrastructure (AFIR), setting mandatory targets to have HRS that serve both cars and trucks in all urban nodes and every 200 km along the TEN-T core. That means around 700 more stations will have to be introduced in European roads by 2030, according to Hydrogen Europe. AFIR is part of the EU’s “Fit for 55,” a package of regulatory actions that look to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Europe had 254 hydrogen stations in 2022, 105 of which are in Germany. France is still second in Europe with 44 operating stations, followed by the UK und the Netherlands with 17 each, and Switzerland with 14 stations, reports Hydrogen Central.

An important part of the announcement is that the agreement will be reassessed in 2024 based on market conditions. Industry players will hope that the deployment will be moved to 150km, and eventually, 100km. Despite the agreement being less ambitious that the initial proposal, energy companies and organizations see it as a positive sign.

“It's not ideal when it comes to the number of stations but we believe it's a very good positive signal to all of the industry that the change is here, that hydrogen mobility is one of the chosen solutions to fully decarbonize road transportation,” says Darko Levicar, Director of Transport Policy at Hydrogen Europe.

With many of the existing HRS in Europe having 350 bar dispensers, AFIR will require at least one 700 bar dispenser onsite. This supports the industry’s consensus that 700 bar will be the norm.

“It’s definitely a positive sign. Stations every 200km could feed the needs of trucks. Difficult for passenger vehicles though. We will need much more than that. When I started looking into this market years ago, we were already talking about 2,500 hydrogen stations by 2030. But we need to go beyond that if we really want hydrogen as a credible alternative solution to conventional fuels,” explains Cedric Herbreteau, Director of Product Management, Clean Energy and Global Platforms, at Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS).

The European Union is not alone in its support for hydrogen mobility – the Biden Administration recently backed the sector through its Inflation Reduction Act, which provides $370bn in climate funding, China’s state-owned energy majors promising a $14.5 billion investment in cleaner energy, and Australia is looking to have all new heavy vehicles use renewable fuels by 2040. These programs, in addition to those of Japan, South Korea and other countries, include hydrogen mobility in some way.

Forget cars, focus on trucks (for now)

With short refueling times and high autonomy, heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) have become the perfect match for hydrogen - with fuel-cell technology and in internal combustion enegines. The weight of lithium batteries and high charging times makes it difficult to apply the technology to vehicles with heavy loads.

“We know diesel is going to be banned for trucks in several locations in the future, so we need alternative solutions. CNG and LNG are there. Hydrogen has really popped up in the last six months and it has big technological advantages. The user experience is similar, and the driving range is high. We are talking about 1,000 kilometres today but eventually it will be higher depending on the truck load. 700 bar technology will also improve range. The moment this technology is stable and available to everyone, it'll fly,” according to Herbreteau.

Vehicle manufacturers are an essential part of the puzzle, and they are also putting more options on the table. Hyundai and Hyzon were the first to bring their fuel cell trucks into Europe. The world’s first hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty truck, the Hyundai Xcient, hit Swiss roads in late 2021, and a total of 1600 units are expected to be in Europe by 2025.

The Nikola Tre FCEV, which will be available in Canada this year, has a range of up to 800 km and an estimated fueling time of 20 minutes. In 2021, Nikola Corporation joined forces with IVECO and OGE to accelerate hydrogen fueling for trucks in Germany.

“If you want to have an autonomy of 400/500 kilometers with heavy-duty vehicles you need four to five tonnes of batteries on board. With hydrogen technologies you do not have these pains – you can refuel in five to ten minutes and get an autonomy of 600 km,” says Levicar.

Hydrogen Europe believes density of population will also play a role in which technology is implemented. In places like Japan and Europe the transport system will need a combination of solutions due to its high density. The U.S., Canada, South America and Australia could struggle with electric and may be more suited to hydrogen due to the massive distances.

“Hydrogen is a suitable source for the medium and long term as long as it'll be green. I don't believe that motorists will stay only with one source of energy in the future. And hydrogen is definitely one for me,” adds Herbreteau.

If Europe is to decarbonize the transport sector and reach its ambitions climate goals, it will need to use every option available. The collaboration of the sector via consortiums, a wider focus from public authorities and new technologies that appear can launch the hydrogen mobility sector forward. If one thing is for certain, is that the lightest element in the universe will propel many of tomorrow’s heaviest vehicles.

Written by Oscar Smith Diamante

This article is part of the PetrolPlaza Special "The Future of Hydrogen." Check it out the rest of the Special here.

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