H2Share fuel cell trucks begin tests in NW Europe
A few days ago, a 27-tonne fuel-cell-powered truck from VDL started its first practical application in the Netherlands. The EU-funded H2Share project will gather practical experience in different regions of North-West Europe.
The heavy-duty truck with fuel cell is being used by Breytner, a logistics company specialising in emission-free transport in Schelluinen, in the south of Holland. The VDL truck will be used to supply sales outlets, among others. Breytner hopes that the test, scheduled to last three months, will find out which ways the hydrogen truck can be used most efficiently in different logistical processes.
“It’s great to be one of the few logisticians worldwide who can test a hydrogen truck in everyday life”, says Maria-José Baartmans of Breytner. “It provides our customers and us with valuable knowledge about emission-free transport solutions and it helps us to take the next steps towards a sustainable transport system”.
The German company Wystrach has developed a mobile hydrogen filling station with low energy consumption for the project. This mobile refuelling unit accompanies the swap body truck to its demonstration stations.
After its use in Schelluinen, the fuel cell truck is to be tested at other companies. Currently, six stations are planned in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and France. Wystrach has developed the mobile hydrogen filling station with low energy requirements in order to be able to use the truck at all stations without having to rely on stationary hydrogen filling stations.
Wolfgang Wolter, CEO of Wystrach said that they recognise an increasing demand for a holistic approach to mobility concepts. He said that interest in hydrogen-fuelled systems is coming from manufacturers of trucks, trains and buses. “The H2Share project, therefore, is an important showcase for trendsetting possibilities,” he explained.
The aim of the H2Share project, which is funded with 1.69 million euros, is to promote the development of a market for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles powered by hydrogen and to gain practical experience in various regions of north-western Europe.
“Within the H2-Share project, VDL aims to prove the market readiness of the hydrogen fuel cell system in a heavy-duty vehicle and demonstrate the reliability in daily use with real users in the North-Western Europe region as a pre-cursor to the mass-market deployment of the technology,” says Menno Kleingeld, managing director VDL.
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