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Sonol to Set Up a Hydrogen Refueling Station in Haifa Bay with Support of H2 MOBILITY

By January 15, 2021 3   min read  (575 words)

January 15, 2021 |

fuel cells works, sonol, hydrogen refueling station

Haifa Bay— Attempts to market hydrogen for transportation in Israel are rising. Calcalist has learned that the energy company Sonol will receive a truck that runs on hydrogen, for the purpose of refueling experiments and testing the conditions of suitability for work in Israel.

About a year ago, Sonol won a tender from the Ministry of Energy for a grant to build a hydrogen gas station. The company intends to soon establish the first gas station in Israel in the Haifa area, from where it will carry out various experiments to adapt the technology in Israel.

Hydrogen is considered to be the future fuel of the transportation industry, with some great benefits. The first is zero pollutant emissions, and the second is in the availability of the raw material: a vehicle with a hydrogen engine produces electricity in a chemical process, and the electricity is stored in a battery that powers the vehicles’ engines. There are several hydrogen-powered vehicles in the world, such as the Honda FCX and Toyota Mirai.

Sonol wants to refuel heavy transport in Israel (trucks, buses) with hydrogen, hence the connection with the South Korean car giant Hyundai.

Last year, it was revealed in “Calcalist” that the Korean company will perform tests on a heavy vehicle in Israel. The Corona crisis rejected the plans, but Sonol reached an understanding with Hyundai to get at least one vehicle to operate in Israel. If the pilot is successful, Sonol will consider expanding its fleet of hydrogen vehicles, while saving costs and reducing air pollution.

The station will be launched by the German company H2 MOBILITY, which has established and operates about 90 hydrogen refueling stations in Germany. Under the agreement, H2 MOBILITY will assist Sonol in planning, construction and preparation for the operation of the station. The cost of setting up the station, including the professional accompaniment of the German giant, is estimated at NIS 20 million.

Sonol’s first station is expected to be built in Haifa Bay, an area suffering from air pollution resulting from active commercial transportation, as it is estimated that this is where the hydrogen will be produced for gas stations around the country. In the first phase, the station will provide service for trucks and buses, and later, as the technology is assimilated into private vehicles, the station’s activities will expand accordingly.

The choice in the Haifa area is not accidental. Only about a month ago, Bazan Group announced that it had won the Ministry of Energy’s tender to build a facility for marketing hydrogen for transportation. In this situation, Bazan’s hydrogen may reach Sonol’s refueling station.

According to Bazan, which produces about 8 tons of hydrogen per hour for industrial needs, the system it will set up will allow it to develop the ability to produce, compress and transport hydrogen of a quality that matches the needs of transportation in the State of Israel. Sonol CEO Nir Galili said that “I am sure that the trend of assimilating hydrogen refueling energy around the world will change the face of the State of Israel when it comes to consuming fuel alternatives.” Colmobil, an importer of Hyundai, stated that “the Colmobil Group, which sees great importance in promoting environmental propulsion technologies, is considering a pilot with the Hyundai concern this year, in which hydrogen-powered trucks will move on Israeli roads. ”

Source: H2 Mobility

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