Marseille, France: Air Liquide and Iveco Group have opened the first high-pressure hydrogen station for long-haul trucks in Europe.
The hydrogen refuelling station in Fos-sur-Mer follows an agreement by the two companies to advance hydrogen as a truck fuel. The fuel station can deliver a ton a day of hydrogen, refuelling time at 700-bar pressure, and is supplied by supplied pipeline.
The Fos-sur-Mer station, supported by French state funding, is also part of H2Haul, the European project co-financed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. A second high-capacity station for heavy vehicles will be installed in Salon-de-Provence to supply a potential fleet of 50 hydrogen Iveco trucks from 2025 in the framework of the R’Hyse project.
Erwin Penfornis, vice-president hydrogen energy world business line, Air Liquide, said: “To encourage the widespread use of hydrogen, we must collectively create the conditions for the sector to flourish. It is imperative to develop a network of high-capacity stations dense enough to enable vehicle manufacturers and transport operators to embark on this transition. The HyAmmed project is part of this approach: it’s a decisive first step and the kick-off to a greater ambition that we share with our partner IvecoO.”
Gerrit Marx, chief executive, Iveco Group, said: “Our strategy for increasingly sustainable mobility is based on a technology-neutral approach and hydrogen mobility is a key building block on this path. In fact, it provides an essential solution for high energy demanding commercial vehicle applications, such as long-haul transport. Today we showed that we have all the capabilities, both the vehicles and the stations, to put a true hydrogen mobility ecosystem on the road: the strategy is becoming reality. And our new, all-inclusive, pay-per-use rental model Gate (Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem) will enable access to the hydrogen-powered vehicles. Today’s milestone allows us to further strengthen the strategic and fundamental partnership with Air Liquide, a leader on the international energy transition scene that, like Iveco Group, works to advance a more sustainable society.”
