Drivers of fuel-cell electric cars can refuel at more and more filling stations: H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and its shareholders Shell and Air Liquide have jointly opened the first hydrogen (H2) filling stations in Bayreuth and Berg bei Hof. The hydrogen supply network in Germany is becoming increasingly tight knit.

Hydrogen is used to refuel electric vehicles with fuel cells. Their advantages: no noise, no pollutants, but the same use, speed and range as passenger cars with petrol or diesel engines. Hydrogen vehicles have ranges of 500 to 800 kilometres, and are refuelled in just three minutes.

The network of stations at which fuel cell vehicles can refuel with hydrogen is becoming increasingly tight-knit. There are now 64 H2 filling stations in Germany; by the end of 2019 there will be 100.

Bavaria leads the field with 14 stations

Bavaria already has H2 filling stations in cities including Munich, Nuremberg, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, and Geiselwind, and soon also in Erlangen and Würzburg – at currently 14, it has the most of any German federal state. In the Nuremberg metropolitan region alone, which also includes Bayreuth and Berg bei Hof, there will be a total of eight hydrogen filling stations.

Both new locations – the Shell service stations at Christian-Ritter-von-Langheinrich-Strasse 2 in Bayreuth and at Sieggrubenstrasse 5 in Berg near Hof – are situated directly on A9 motorway slip roads (Bayreuth North and Berg/Bad Steben respectively).

The developer is the H2 MOBILITY joint venture; the filling station technology for both stations comes from the gas and technology company Air Liquide. H2 MOBILITY is a JV that is setting up a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany.

The hydrogen stations are state-of-the-art, intuitive to use by the driver; refuelling is similar to that of conventional vehicles and takes three to five minutes. The facilities each have a capacity of around 200 kilograms of hydrogen – enough to refuel 40 to 50 vehicles a day.

E-mobility with hydrogen reduces CO2 emissions

Hydrogen offers a way to expand the range of fuels available in the transport sector in a climate-friendly way, because climate-damaging CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced by using hydrogen, especially if it is produced with renewable energy.

The hydrogen stations in Bayreuth and Berg bei Hofwerefunded by the European Commission through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) in the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) project.

Comments from participants on the opening of the H2 stations in Bayreuth and Berg bei Hof:

Thomas Bystry, Project Manager Hydrogen Filling Stations, Shell:
„Hydrogen technology is a promising technology. We assume that from the 2020s, this alternative drive system will play an increasingly important role in markets such as Germany, Britain, the Benelux countries, the USA, and Japan. We are on target at Shell.“

Markus Schewitza, Managing Director Air Liquide Advanced Technologies GmbH:
„Hydrogen is one of the best solutions for achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. It has the potential to decarbonise the transport sector, one of the major sources of pollution in our cities. Air Liquide is proud to contribute to the building of the biggest hydrogen infrastructure in Europe, and to thereby create the prerequisite for rolling-out fuel-cell vehicles in Germany.”

Lorenz Jung, Head of Network at H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH:
„Driving an electric car is fun, but charging it is less so. Hydrogen is the solution: electromotive acceleration, refuelling in three minutes, and ranges of 500 – 800 km. We are pleased to see an increasing number of hydrogen pioneers using our growing network of filling stations.“

Brigitte Merk-Erbe, Mayor of Bayreuth:
„The fuel cell enables clean mobility with long ranges, which is why the city of Bayreuth championed the construction of a hydrogen filling station at an early stage. We want to give our citizens and companies the opportunity to switch to electric mobility with fuel-cell vehicles.“

Dr. Oliver Bär, Head of the Hof district authority:
„To get hydrogen vehicles on the road now, we need a big H2 filling station network –in the cities, along the motorways, and across the country. We’ve gladly supported the construction in our district, and hope that the people in Franconia will get on board as well.“

About H2 MOBILITY

H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG is responsible for establishing a hydrogen infrastructure to supply cars with fuel-cell propulsion (700 bar technology) in Germany. The interim goal by the end of 2019 is to operate 100 H2 stations in seven German metropolitan regions (Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich) as well as along trunk roads and motorways. With the ramp-up of vehicle numbers, asmany as 400 hydrogen stations will eventually ensure a nationwide supply. H2 MOBILITY handles all the tasks – planning, construction, operation, and marketing –that are necessary for successfully expanding and operating the network.

The company’s shareholders are Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and TOTAL, with BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen and NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology) serving in an advisory capacity as associated partners.

More information: h2.live