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Friday Fallback Story: H2 Truck Project in Norway to Roll Out 100 Hydrogen Trucks

By April 15, 2022 7   min read  (1168 words)

April 15, 2022 |

Fuel Cells Works, Friday Fallback Story: H2 Truck Project in Norway to Roll Out 100 Hydrogen Trucks

The H2 Truck project aims to roll out a minimum of one hundred hydrogen trucks on Norwegian roads by 2025.

It is an elite team of Norwegian industrial players who are now leading the way in a major investment to overcome emissions from heavy vehicles, says general manager Jan Carsten Gjerløw in Evig Grønn AS, who is responsible for the project.

– We have gathered the entire value chain of transport users, the developers of stations and production facilities, and public authorities to a joint effort to achieve this. Sustainable mobility, whether it concerns people, goods or services, is the basis for the development of all sustainable activities, says Gjerløw.

INCLUDES THE ENTIRE VALUE CHAIN

The project’s unique composition, with key players from the entire value chain, will ensure a robust development. The infrastructure will be in place before the vehicles, and will be expanded in step with the need. It will also ensure faster profitability.

The companies Everfuel and Hynion will be responsible for the development of the filling stations.

Everfuel recently launched its ambitions for a first phase development of 15 filling stations aimed at heavy transport, buses and taxi companies.

– We have close contact with both the truck manufacturers and the logistics companies, and I think this can be redemptive news that will make all players confident that they can invest in hydrogen in the knowledge that the entire value chain falls into place, says Helge Holen, head of Everfuel Norway .

Hynion already has hydrogen stations in place.

– These can ensure an early testing of hydrogen trucks. Then we start building new stations at the locations that users demand, says Ulf Hafseld, general manager of Hynion.

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General manager Jan Carsten Gjerløw in Evig Grønn AS is project manager for H2 Truck. Photo: Kristin Svorte

The price of hydrogen must go down

Among the transport users in the project are DB Schenker, Posten og Bring, Rema and DnB.

DB Schenker has already taken significant environmental responsibility by establishing the Oslo City Hub for electrification of goods distribution in Oslo. Now they also want to take the lead in heavy transport.

– We have great ambitions for reducing CO2 emissions from our business. Heavy transport over longer distances is the most difficult thing to do, and hydrogen will be an important solution. We now see the opportunity to test the first hydrogen trucks through the collaboration in H2 Truck, says sustainability manager Per Ove Svartangen.

– We know that the first hydrogen trucks will be expensive, but expect the price to decrease when production volumes increase. It is the total cost that is important to us. Hydrogen will gradually become competitive with fossil solutions, and we want to help make that happen as soon as possible, he says.

Fight for a place in the queue

Norway Post and Bring are also clear in their ambitions.

– Posten and Bring already have Norway’s largest electric car fleet, and have started restructuring the heavier vehicles. We see hydrogen as an important part of the solution. We must be aware of our responsibility, take the lead and be the greenest player in the industry, says Hege Sagplass, senior advisor for Environment and Sustainability.

In the world today, there is a fierce competition to have the first hydrogen trucks delivered to their region.

– We are currently in dialogue with several manufacturers, and the goal is to reach an agreement with two of these. The probability of success is high when we can present such a large and robust value chain. We are now first focusing on getting trucks to the Oslo region, which is considered attractive by manufacturers. Norway’s reputation as an electric car country is also a positive factor, says Jan Carsten Gjerløw.

Connected to Europe

H2 Truck has then also found support and anchoring in the regional authorities’ sustainability work.

– The Oslo region is a natural starting point for this type of project in Norway. Oslo Municipality is the driving force behind its project «Pilot City for emission-free heavy transport». We work closely with the municipality, which together with Viken county municipality and companies contribute funding to the project. We will also expand the project to include corridors to more Norwegian regions, says Gjerløw.

H2Truck is also linked to European initiatives for green transport, such as the STRING Hydrogen Corridor project. The mandate here is to facilitate the use of hydrogen trucks between Oslo and Hamburg.

Project manager Jon Eriksen at Kunnskapsbyen Lillestrøm, who is a partner in H2 Truck, says that the Norwegian Hydrogen Forum and Kunnskapsbyen also work closely with the national hydrogen organizations in the Nordic region on the establishment and expansion of hydrogen infrastructure for heavier vehicles. This work is gathered in the Next Wave project, which is supported by Nordic Innovation.

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– Together with the Norwegian Hydrogen Forum, we also work closely with the national hydrogen organizations in the Nordic region on the establishment and expansion of hydrogen infrastructure for heavier vehicles, says project manager Jon Eriksen at Kunnskapsbyen Lillestrøm, who is a partner in H2 Truck.

Must have hydrogen to achieve climate goals

According to figures from the Norwegian Environment Agency, transport accounts for 31 per cent of Norway’s greenhouse gas emissions. In Oslo, road traffic accounts for almost half of greenhouse gas emissions, and heavy transport accounts for 23 per cent of these. The road to low and zero emissions is more difficult for heavy vehicles than for passenger cars.

– The heavy trucks are still the most difficult to get over to zero emissions. If we are to achieve our climate goals, the restructuring must now start in this sector as well. That is why the H2 Truck project is important, and we are very pleased to have included so many heavy players in the value chain. That is exactly what is needed to succeed, says Gjerløw.

Facts about H2 Truck

The project aims to get the first 100 hydrogen trucks to the Oslo region, with associated infrastructure. The project started in 2019, with key companies in the entire value chain as partners and with the following sub-goals:

  • Increase competence in the value chain and mobilize more transport users
  • Position Norway vis-à-vis truck manufacturers to gain access at an early stage
  • Work for good framework conditions for emission-free heavy transport
  • Lay the foundation for the roll-out of hydrogen trucks on a large scale in Norway
  • Coordinate with other regions in Norway and international projects
  • Contribute to local and national value creation

Jan Carsten Gjerløw in Evig Grønn AS is project manager.

The following companies are partners in the project:

  • Statkraft
  • Everfuel Norway
  • Hynion
  • Ballard Power Systems Norway
  • Toyota Norway
  • DB Schenker
  • Partifrakt
  • Norway Post
  • PostNord
  • Transport-Mediation
  • Coop Norge
  • Rema Distribusjon Norge
  • DNB
  • Ife / FME MOZEES
  • The city of knowledge Lillestrøm
  • ZERO

The project is funded by the partners, Viken County Municipality and Oslo Municipality at the Climate and Energy Fund.

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