Joint venture H2 Mobility puts another H2 station into operation Fuel-cell vehicles can now refuel at the Shell filling station in Wendlingen New site expands the hydrogen supply network in southern Germany German government funds facility with €700,000 via innovation programme
Wendlingen, 15 February 2018 – H2 Mobility Deutschland and its shareholders Shell and Air Liquide today jointly inaugurated the first hydrogen station in the Esslingen district – the twelfth in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg. The partners have thus taken another step towards a nationwide hydrogen (H2) supply network in Germany – and drivers of emissions-free fuel-cell cars now have another refuelling option on the important route between Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.
The new H2 station is owned and operated by the joint venture H2 Mobility, which is building a hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. Its location at the filling station on Heinrich-Otto-Straße is directly by the Wendlingen exit of the BAB 8 motorway. The technology for the filling station comes from the gas and technology company Air Liquide. The hydrogen station in Wendlingen is state-of-the-art and offers drivers an intuitive fuelling experience similar to facilities for conventional vehicles. Refuelling takes three to five minutes to complete.
E-mobility with hydrogen reduces CO2 emissions
Hydrogen offers a way to expand the fuel supply in the transport sector in a climate-friendly manner, as climate-damaging CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced by using hydrogen produced with renewable energy. A hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicle emits no local pollutants or carbon dioxide (CO2), and has an operating range of between 500 and 700 kilometres.
To ensure the success of electromobility with hydrogen, an attractive range of fuel-cell vehicles as well as the necessary refuelling infrastructure are required. The Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure is therefore supporting the construction of the first 50 hydrogen filling stations via the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP), and has invested around 700,000 euros in the construction of the facility in Wendlingen.
The expansion of the nationwide H2 network is advancing apace. In all, the joint venture H2 Mobility intends to build as many as 400 filling stations in Germany. The foundations for the expansion of Germany’s hydrogen infrastructure were laid by the Clean Energy Partnership (CEP) demonstration project, which established common standards and norms.
A selection of comments by the people involved in the project at the opening of the H2 filling station in Wendlingen:
Norbert Barthle, Parliamentary State Secretary:
“Fuel-cell based electromobility means, above all, clean mobility, quick refuelling, and long ranges. To get the vehicles on the road, we need a big hydrogen filling station network in Germany – in the main cities, along the motorways, and also in the more rural areas. Establishing H2 Mobility stations at conventional filling stations is an important step for hydrogen mobility.”
Thomas Bystry, Shell project manager and Chairman of the Clean Energy Partnership:
“Hydrogen technology is a promising technology, and H2 is a fuel of the future. We expect that, from the 2020s, this alternative drive will come to play an increasingly important role in markets such as Germany, Britain, Benelux and the United States. At Shell, we are on target.”
Markus Schewitza, Managing Director Air Liquide Advanced Technologies GmbH:
“We need to face the challenges of energy transition now. And hydrogen is today one of our best solutions to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Hydrogen has notably the potential to efficiently decarbonize the transport sector which is one of the major source of pollution in our cities, but it requires a dedicated infrastructure to achieve this goal. Air Liquide is proud to contribute, together with the key private and public players, to the building of the biggest hydrogen infrastructure in Europe, and thus enable the deployment of FCEVs on the territory.”
Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH:
“Germany is on the way to becoming a trailblazer in matters of hydrogen-based electromobility, and we are in the process of building the backbone of the hydrogen infrastructure with the first 100 stations nationwide, regardless of vehicle numbers. Our priority is to build stations where customers [will] need them, and to operate these stations reliably.”
H2 MOBILITY, a company founded by CEP partners, whose shareholders are Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and Total, is responsible for the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure throughout Germany. BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Volkswagen, and NOW GmbH advise H2 MOBILITY as associated partners. The H2.LIVE app lets you follow how the filling station network is growing. www.h2.live, www.h2-mobility.de