H2 MOBILITY is responsible for the construction and operation of the filling station . The company opened a hydrogen filling station in Heidelberg at rnv 's new depot for alternative drives in April. Together with rnv, another filling station will be built in Ludwigshafen by next year. The new rnv articulated bus fleet with a total of 48 H2-eCitaro buses will in future refuel with hydrogen at the AFIR-compliant locations in Heidelberg, Mannheim and Ludwigshafen .

“ We are delighted to now be able to put articulated buses with hydrogen fuel cells on the line in our Mannheim transport area ,” explains Martin in der Beek, technical director of rnv . “ The initial experiences we have had in Heidelberg over the past few months confirm that these vehicles are an ideal addition to our regular e-buses and that they have particular advantages on demanding longer routes. Since we want to convert our entire bus fleet to locally emission - free drives by 2032 , we need this technology and vehicle mix. ”

Municipal companies and surrounding logistics companies also benefit from the new locations : All filling stations are publicly accessible and can refuel hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles at a pressure level of 350 and 700 bar.

Martin Jüngel, Managing Director and CFO of H2 MOBILITY: “ In the Rhine-Neckar region, the security of hydrogen supply and the attractiveness of hydrogen in mobility increase with each new filling station opening. In the region, hydrogen is already used in public transport and by municipal companies. Buses and garbage collection vehicles are in regular operation and show that hydrogen has become an integral part of everyday operations . In the Rhine-Neckar region, it is particularly attractive to get into H2 mobility. The existing public H2 infrastructure can simply be used . ”

The filling station is not only ideally located to optimally supply rnv 's new, climate-friendly articulated bus fleet in Mannheim, it is also not far from the Mannheim motorway junction (A6) , making it attractive for logistics traffic. The filling station is an essential part of the H2Rhein - Neckar project funded by the state of Baden-Württemberg , which, together with the federal funding project H2Rivers, is transforming the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region into one of the largest showcases for hydrogen technology. In addition to hydrogen production, the projects focus on the use of hydrogen in public transport and heavy goods traffic.  

Pilot project for hydrogen mobility in the Rhine-Neckar region  

In the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, a hydrogen ecosystem is being created with one of the largest demonstration projects for H2 mobility in southwest Germany: the H2Rhein-Neckar and H2Rivers projects are testing the use of new hydrogen technologies and providing new insights for the development of a regional value chain. 

" These pioneering projects show the challenges and opportunities in practice that the use of hydrogen brings with it. Accompanying scientific research is evaluating the effects that new drives have on public transport operations. Other municipalities and public transport operators can also benefit from this . The big challenge is to build up infrastructure and H2 applications at the same time , " adds Isabell Knüttgen , Head of Hydrogen Technologies at the state agency e-mobil BW , consortium leader in the H2Rhein-Neckar project.

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