Air Products unveiled plans to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale hydrogen refueling stations (HRSs), located along major transportation corridors near the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The infrastructure will connect key locations across Europe and support the advancement of a safe and resilient hydrogen ecosystem.
As the world’s largest supplier of hydrogen, Air Products has more than 250 hydrogen fueling station projects in 20 countries, and the company’s technologies are used in more than 1.5 million fueling operations annually. Air Products’ commercial-scale stations deliver proven technology in compression, storage, and dispensing, multiple pressure fueling options, and ultimately, onsite liquid hydrogen storage, which enables liquid fueling. As part of a European hydrogen network, the stations will help ensure reliability and convenience for heavy-duty transportation powered by hydrogen.
Air Products’ HRSs will be supplied with renewable hydrogen from its global hydrogen supply chain network, providing an energy supply to heavy-duty transportation. This includes a second hydrogen liquefaction plant the company is building in Rotterdam, which, once operational, will double Europe’s total liquid hydrogen capacity.
From Plans To Action
Several current and planned stations have already been awarded subsidies by the European Commission through their Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding program. These include:
- HRS’s in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Hürth, Germany, currently in commissioning phase
- An HRS located at the Volvo Group site in the port of Ghent, Belgium
- Europe’s first commercial-scale HRS with liquid hydrogen in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium
In addition to CEF-funding, the company has also been awarded funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, to build two high-capacity, publicly accessible HRSs in Meckenheim and Duisburg, Germany.
Hydrogen-Powered Trucks
In collaboration with Daimler Truck, Air Products’ latest mobile fueling station in Duisburg is being used in their hydrogen truck pilot project. As part of customer-trials, five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks can refuel at the station enabling it to operate under real, heavy-duty fueling conditions. This will offer insights into the liquid hydrogen fueling interface and help inform the ongoing development of a future-ready hydrogen ecosystem.
Aligned with Air Products’ commitment to convert its distribution fleet to hydrogen-powered vehicles, it is also trialing one of the GenH2 trucks as part of the project. The vehicle will be deployed in Air Products’ existing fleet to transport cylinder gases, allowing it to gain valuable experience in the field of industrial gas transportation.
The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks will be fueled with liquid hydrogen, which enables a range of more than 621 miles (1000 km). In this aggregate state, the energy carrier has a significantly higher energy density, allowing more hydrogen to be carried. This feature significantly increases the truck’s range and enables comparable performance of the vehicle with that of a conventional diesel truck. According to Air Products, liquid hydrogen tanks offer advantages in terms of cost and weight compared to compressed gaseous hydrogen, so the use of liquid hydrogen enables a higher payload. This quality makes the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck just as suitable for flexible and demanding long-haul road transportation as conventional diesel trucks.
“With thousands of trucks delivering industrial gases to our customers every day, logistics is an integral part of our business,” said Seifi Ghasemi, chair, president, and chief executive officer of Air Products. “Trialing a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck under real conditions is a critical step in our work to convert our distribution fleet to hydrogen-powered vehicles. On the pathway to sustainable transportation, safe and reliable production, transportation, and distribution of renewable hydrogen across the entire value chain is also essential. This is Air Products’ proven area of expertise, and we’re proud to be providing critical refueling infrastructure and liquid hydrogen as part of this project.”
“It is important to note that high-performance carbon dioxide [CO2]-neutral vehicles alone will not be enough to make sustainable transportation successful,” said Martin Daum, chair of the board of management of Daimler Truck AG. “This also requires a corresponding charging and refueling infrastructure, as well as cost parity with conventional vehicles. Although policymakers and energy companies are already active here, we urgently need even more momentum across all of Europe!”
The announcement of a European hydrogen refueling station network follows Air Products’ recently shared plans to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale, multi-modal hydrogen refueling stations stretching from Northern California to Southern California and between Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
