Number of hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany continues to drop
Handelsblatt
The number of hydrogen refuelling stations in Germany has declined further as operators focus on trucks rather than cars, business daily Handelsblatt reported. According to data from H2 Mobility, Europe’s largest operator of hydrogen refuelling stations, there are currently 50 publicly accessible stations, compared to over 80 two years ago.
While many of the smaller stations dedicated to cars have recently been closed, new refuelling stations are to be designed specifically for trucks, the article said. They require much more space for parking and manoeuvring, and supply gas at a pressure of 350 bar, compared to 700 bar for passenger cars.
Currently, two stations in Germany supply hydrogen exclusively at 350 bar, 35 offer both variants, and 13 offer only 700 bar hydrogen.
Hydrogen plays hardly any role as an energy source for cars in Europe, as the technology has been left behind by battery-electric cars. Only two fuel cell car models are currently available, the Toyota Mirai and the newly launched Hyundai Nexo. BMW has announced a third, and in November received 273 million euros in subsidies for the hydrogen mobility project “HyPowerDrive”, which the EU classified as an “Important Project of Common European Interest” (IPCEI).
Many transport experts have said for years that fuel cell cars are unlikely to succeed in the transition to more climate-friendly transport because they are too expensive. Some companies still hold out hope for the use of hydrogen in trucks, but purely battery-electric models have caught up in terms of range and charging speed in this segment, too.
Green hydrogen is still seen as key to reach climate neutrality, but the rollout of what is often dubbed a "hydrogen economy" has been much slower than originally expected. Most experts say its use will be restricted to applications without alternatives, for example to create very high temperatures in industry, rather than in transport or heating, for which cheaper clean alternatives already exist.
