- Commissioning of the world’s first AVIA hydrogen filling station in St. Gallen
- By the end of 2020, six hydrogen filling stations will cover the Lake Constance – Lake Geneva axis
- Green hydrogen from 100% renewable energy sources is being produced on a larger scale in Switzerland for the first time
- The first 50 hydrogen-electric commercial vehicles will be on the road in Switzerland by the end of 2020
- A globally unique eco-mobility system is implemented by 21 Swiss “heavyweights” in the transport, logistics and petrol station industry, leading representatives of the Swiss energy industry, a globally active vehicle manufacturer and specialized companies in the hydrogen industry.
- A big day for hydrogen electromobility in Switzerland: With the commissioning of the world’s first AVIA hydrogen filling station in St. Gallen, Bertrand Piccard is the starting signal for an ecological cycle that will lead road traffic on a promising path towards the energy transition.
Bertrand Piccard said “What the Swiss private sector does is unique worldwide. Some believed that the hydrogen industry was pure utopia. Switzerland, however, is proving that electrically powered commercial vehicles and passenger cars fill up with clean hydrogen and without CO 2- Let emissions go. In addition to establishing an economically profitable sector, we are talking about great progress for the environment – with convincing advantages for customers. Refueling takes only a few minutes. The drive is 100% electric. Performance and range are high. And there are no harmful exhaust gases coming from the exhaust, but pure water vapor. Many pioneers have pooled their know-how in order to arrive at this important moment for the environment – and not with words, but with action. ”
After a pilot phase lasting several years, the members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland promotional association and their partner companies are ramping up the new electric mobility system in Switzerland. This enables CO 2 -free operation of electrically powered commercial vehicles and passenger cars that use green hydrogen as energy storage.
The first 50 Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell hydrogen electronic commercial vehicles (36 t trailer trains ) will hit Swiss roads this year.
With the opening of the world’s first AVIA hydrogen filling station in St. Gallen, the second public filling station in Switzerland (after Coop in Hunzenschwil (since 2016)) started operation. By the end of 2020 , six hydrogen filling stations will be available on the Lake Constance – Lake Geneva axis : in St. Gallen (SG), Rümlang (ZH), Hunzenschwil (AG), Zofingen (AG), Bern (BE) and Crissier (VD). They offer green hydrogen for commercial vehicles (350 bar) and passenger cars (700 bar) . Osterwalder St. Gallen AG is the first gas station to offer green hydrogen with the designation H2 ZERO .
The further scaling will take place from 2021 to 2025 with a total of 1,600 hydrogen electric commercial vehicles and a nationwide hydrogen filling station network (until 2023). At the same time, the volume of cars with the environmentally friendly hydrogen electric drive is likely to increase significantly. They only fill up with green hydrogen, made from 100% renewable energy sources.
The new Swiss electric mobility system at a glance
Hydrospider, Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility (HHM), the funding association H2 Mobility Switzerland and H2 Energy are currently building emission-free electromobility in Switzerland. The basis for this is provided by a business ecosystem that unites various players from the energy and mobility sectors in a privately organized system. Every area of this cycle, from the energy source through production to use in the electric vehicle, works without CO 2 emissions.
The closed cycle begins with the production of green hydrogen by Hydrospider AG. This is done in advance in a new production facility at the Alpiq hydropower plant in Gösgen (SO). The hydrogen is produced exclusively in Switzerland with the help of electricity from renewable energies (water, sun, wind) – and is therefore emission-free and climate-friendly. It is completely green hydrogen that meets the SAE standard J2719.
Hyundai Hydrogen Mobility AG will import up to 1,600 fuel cell electric trucks by 2025. The first ten series trucks are heading towards Europe. The hydrogen supply, construction of commercial vehicles, infrastructure and filling station network for the first 50 Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell trucks have been prepared. The 36 t trailer trains are expected to be on Swiss roads before the end of 2020. They are made available to transporters and logisticians according to the pay-per-use principle for the distribution of goods in Switzerland.
The members of the H2 Mobility Switzerland support association use commercial vehicles and build the nationwide refueling infrastructure at 350 bar and 700 bar (for commercial vehicles and passenger cars). The number of petrol stations will gradually be ramped up in the coming years to supply the increasing volume of commercial vehicles with green hydrogen. Hydrogen filling stations in St.Gallen (SG), Rümlang (ZH), Hunzenschwil (AG, Zofingen (AG), Bern-Bethlehem (BE) and Crissier (VD) will be in operation by the end of 2020. Green hydrogen will be available at various filling stations also sold under the name H2 ZERO.
As a business innovator, H2 Energy AG operates the central platform for the implementation of the mobility system (competence center for technology and business administration).
Hyundai and Toyota already offer standard electric passenger cars in Switzerland that are fueled with hydrogen.
The advantages of hydrogen electromobility for customers and the environment: local and independent production, emission-free mobility (water vapor instead of exhaust gases), drive with an electric motor (quiet and efficient), quick refueling (compared to conventional vehicles) and a long range.
In addition, hydrogen has the advantage that it can be stored. “Power to Gas” is a central technology for integrating electricity from renewable sources such as hydropower, photovoltaics or wind into the energy system – among other things through its use in the mobility sector.
Information about the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association and its members can be found at www.h2mobilitaet.ch .
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