Aiwanger: "Hydrogen Filling Stations Are the Signal for the Decarbonization of Heavy Goods Traffic"

MUNICH--The starting shot has been fired for the development of a hydrogen filling station infrastructure for commercial vehicles and buses: Bavarian companies, consortia and a public utility company will be building four hydrogen filling stations in the Free State in the coming year with the help of the Bavarian funding program. Bavaria's Minister of Economics and Energy, Hubert Aiwanger, handed over the funding certificates to the project managers on Thursday. “The decarbonization of heavy-duty and commercial vehicle traffic can be significantly advanced with hydrogen fuel cells. However, we are faced with a classic chicken-and-egg problem: So far, the starting conditions have been difficult because vehicle manufacturers are waiting for hydrogen filling stations, but potential filling station operators need buyers immediately after commissioning. Now things are moving forward: I would like to thank the companies and the Aschaffenburg municipal utilities for their great commitment to accelerate the ramp-up of hydrogen mobility, ”declared the Minister of State. The funding program for hydrogen filling station infrastructure started on October 1, 2020. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has now classified four of the project applications submitted as eligible for funding: G. Leger GmbH already operates a conventional filling station in Memmingen and is planning to build a hydrogen filling station in the immediate vicinity of the A7 / A96 motorway junction and an industrial area with several freight forwarders. “Our hydrogen will be one hundred percent green, that is, it will be produced with renewable energy. We are also planning two more hydrogen filling stations in Augsburg and Kempten, and will thus help to reduce CO 2 in heavy goods traffic, ”explained company owner Thomas Leger. The project is funded with around 1.6 million euros. The Next Mobility Accelerator consortium of the Lower Bavarian companies Paul Nutzfahrzeuge, the energy trader Maier & Korduletsch and Shell Deutschland GmbH has the solution to the chicken and egg problem. “We want to push the market ramp-up for hydrogen in heavy goods traffic. Next year, our neighboring company Paul will build the first commercial vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells, which will then be supplied by our filling station. With our consortium, we are creating both supply and demand for hydrogen as drive energy. Our goal is to get over 50 customers to the petrol station every day, ”explained Lorenz Maier. The energy trader Maier-Korduletsch in Vilshofen near Passau is the fourth generation to operate petrol stations and energy trading. The construction of the petrol station is funded with two million euros. The technological basis for the future hydrogen commercial vehicles is provided by pepper motion GmbH in Denkendorf (Eichstätt district), a leading developer and manufacturer of electric drive systems for converting buses and trucks. The Bavarian company is investing around 4.1 million euros as part of an energy research project The aim is to develop a hydrogen fuel cell drive system for series production based on the latest technology for maximum energy efficiency and longevity. The partnership between pepper motion and Paul Nutzfahrzeuge accelerates the development and manufacture of vehicles with the latest drive technology at series level and creates maximum added value for Bavaria as part of the state's hydrogen technology funding. Aschaffenburg is playing a pioneering role among the municipalities in expanding the hydrogen filling station infrastructure. “If you want to advance the energy transition, we need hydrogen. Funding the petrol station is the solution for our many regional companies that want to use fuel cell drives for their commercial vehicles. The petrol station will have a signal effect in the region. In addition, as a city, we want to convert our communal mobility, be it in public transport or garbage trucks, to hydrogen as much as possible, ”explains Stadtwerkleiter Dieter Gerlach. The planning is already well advanced. The public filling station, which is funded with around 1.6 million euros, is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2022. As the operating company of the green hydrogen model region HyBayern, Hy2B Hydrogen GmbH will build a hydrogen filling station on the premises of the transport company Geldhauser in Hofolding near Munich. "With the hydrogen filling station in Hofolding and the provision of green hydrogen from the electrolysis in Pfeffenhausen, the Hy2B Hydrogen makes a valuable contribution to the energy and transport turnaround," explained Managing Director Dr. Tobias Brunner. As a customer, he primarily sees local public transport, but also commercial vehicle fleets. The petrol station, which is funded with around 1.8 million euros, should be completed by 2023. The operation is to work closely with BayWa AG. With the funding certificate for a hydrogen filling station in Wunsiedel, which was already handed over in September, there are now five projects. "Bavaria is moving ahead: we will be promoting more hydrogen filling stations in the near future," said Minister of State Aiwanger. Heavy goods traffic will increase significantly over the next ten years. “Hydrogen is a tailor-made solution, especially for heavy and long-distance traffic, because it enables long ranges, fast refueling and zero emissions. In addition to the filling stations, we now need the production of H2 trucks. This will enable us to solve current problems such as block handling to Tyrol in the future, ”explained Aiwanger.

Germany: Over 11 Million in Euros of Funding Handed out for Hydrogen Stations