Fulda makes application within the framework of the BMVI sponsorship competition HyLand to investigate the purchase of 1,000 fuel cell commercial vehicles.
Fulda- At the end of September 2019, the town planning office of the city of Fulda submitted a rough concept (HyWheels) for the decarbonisation of the transport sector in eastern Hesse as part of the nationwide HyLand funding competition. More than 30 players, including many medium-sized logistics companies from the region, participated in the submission and signed a Letter of Intent (LoI). In the coming year, the actors plan to jointly develop a detailed concept that will explore the possibilities for building a sustainable hydrogen economy in Eastern Hesse and, among other things, investigate the purchase of 1,000 fuel cell commercial vehicles.
Central goals of the concept HyWheels are the shift away from fossil fuels in the transport sector through the use of fuel cell vehicles, the reduction of CO2 emissions and the development of a sustainable green hydrogen economy in eastern Hesse. The project should actively contribute to the achievement of the climate goals of the Federal Government. At the same time, the actors involved want to create long-term prospects for the regional energy and transport sector. A focal point of the investigations within the framework of HyWheels is the use of fuel cell trucks (BZ trucks). Here, the actors involved see the potential for acquiring at least 1,000 hydrogen-powered vehicles. In addition to BZ trucks and BZ buses, these also include car-sharing fleets for BZ cars and emission-free forklifts for intralogistics.
Strengthening logistics location in eastern Hesse
The consortium plans to test the construction of a corresponding hydrogen infrastructure for the refueling of BZ vehicles. Hydrogen refueling stations at the intersections of the A4, A5, A7 and A66 motorways could make the region of East Hesse a hub for hydrogen in Germany, thus creating long-term prospects for regional value creation.
Dr. Heiko Wingenfeld, Lord Mayor of Fulda, explains the motivation of the city of Fulda: “For the region of East Hessen, the development of a new, future-oriented, hydrogen-based industry would open up attractive opportunities and could contribute both to the creation of new jobs and to the long-term security of our logistics locations. After all, there are a large number of logistics and forwarding companies in East Hesse, which make our region a “springboard” between northern Germany / Scandinavia and southern Germany or the Alpine region. “In addition, the city of Fulda is very interested in clarifying the project To what extent fuel cell vehicles can contribute to improving air quality and reducing noise pollution in Fulda.
Dr. Heinrich Lienkamp, CEO of the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Initiative Hessen eV (H2BZ Initiative Hessen) adds: “The use of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in logistics offers great opportunities to achieve a significant reduction in CO2 reductions in the transport sector. Here, the fuel cell can fully exploit its advantages in terms of short refueling times and long ranges with relatively low weight and space requirements. Therefore, I am very pleased that some members of the H2BZ initiative are also involved in the project in the Fulda region and wish the application every success. “
Announcement of the winners in early 2020
The “HyLand” funding competition was launched by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (BMVI) in order to support the development of integrated concepts for establishing a regional hydrogen economy. Thus, synergy effects should be optimally exploited, with short paths between production and use of hydrogen. The winners of the competition will be announced at the end of January 2020 by the BMVI.
In the case of a grant, the HyWheels consortium intends to start promptly with the development of a detailed concept for the use of hydrogen in inter- and intra-logistics. The implementation concept is expected to be available by mid-2021.
The rough concept HyWheels – hydrogen-based (Hy) commercial transport in East Hesse to reduce emissions in logistics and road traffic – was submitted in the HyExperts category in the HyExperts category according to the funding regulations by the city planning department of the city of Fulda. The district of Fulda actively participated in the preparation and submission of the rough concept. The H2BZ Initiative Hessen and the Hessische LandesEnergieAgentur (LEA) also supported the approach of potential partners and the application.
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
