Mobile with hydrogen. This lettering is emblazoned in neat letters on two new cars in the Düren district.
The slogan is also a program. District Administrator Wolfgang Spelthahn has long relied on hydrogen (H2) as an environmentally friendly form of propulsion for the district. “We will continue to develop as a hydrogen region,” said the district administrator today (March 12) at the Jülich Technology Center (TZJ).
At the TZJ, two vehicles were presented, a Mercedes GLC F-Cell and a Toyota Mirai, which will be made available to the district going forward. The TZJ showed not only these two cars but also buses and other cars with H2 drives. Hydrogen trains drove through the Düren district for the first time three weeks ago – with great response from the population, who took numerous offers to take the train to Jülich and Obermaubach.
The presentation of the vehicles in the TZJ was linked to a large, informative supporting program in which the importance of hydrogen in regional mobility was reported. District Administrator Wolfgang Spelthahn said that the district is ideally suited and positioned as a hydrogen region. But it is now time not only to do research but also to show how it can be used. Toyota has been made available to the district by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Mercedes by the manufacturer. District Administrator Spelthahn campaigned to openly accept the new technology.
Hydrogen buses and filling station
The Düren district itself will purchase five hydrogen buses by 2021. The first H2 filling station has been approved and is funded by the federal government with 1.3 million euros. The district will also set up a hydrogen information center, primarily to raise awareness of this resource-saving technology. There will also be event formats on the subject as part of a hydrogen workshop. Two hydrogen trains will also be purchased by next year, which will run on the Rurtalbahn network.
“Of course it is our goal to produce green hydrogen locally at our Düren district”, emphasized District Administrator Wolfgang Spelthahn and underlined that the further establishment of the Düren district as a hydrogen region would also create jobs. The Jülich company NPROXX manufactures hydrogen tanks. There are only four companies of this kind worldwide. “The more hydrogen we demand, the more new jobs are created,” emphasized the district administrator. The added value thus remains in the Düren district. Work would now continue at high pressure to expand the infrastructure. In the short term, four more petrol stations are to be built in the district.
Round of interviews with experts
An interview round with Prof. Bernhard Hoffschmidt, Director of the Institute for Solar Research at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Dr. Johannes Kuhn (Cologne-based engineering firm EMCEL) provided information on the status of hydrogen research after Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary State Secretary from the Berlin Ministry of Research, was added with a video greeting. The Dürener said that the federal government is currently preparing a hydrogen initiative and is providing around 500 million euros in funding. A multimedia presentation showed insights into the development of the major car manufacturers.
The crowning glory was the festive unveiling of the two hydrogen cars. The neat lettering on the doors and the bonnet was immediately visible. Düren district: mobile with hydrogen. Five words, one program. And of course there was the opportunity to take a close look at all the vehicles on display and to take a lap with one or the other. Mobile with hydrogen.
Source: Düren District
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
