Air Liquide and Iveco Group are out to advance the use of hydrogen fuel cell trucks in European long-haul operations.
The companies recently hosted an inauguration ceremony at Air Liquide’s high-pressure hydrogen refueling station in Fos-sur-Mer, outside Marseille, France, that also included a prototype of Iveco’s new heavy-duty fuel cell tractor, which the manufacturer plans to begin delivering to European fleets later this year.
“To encourage the widespread use of hydrogen, we must collectively create the conditions for the sector to flourish,” Erwin Penfornis, vice president of Air Liquide’s hydrogen energy world business line, said in a news release. “It is imperative to develop a network of high-capacity stations dense enough to enable vehicle manufacturers and transport operators to embark on this transition. The HyAMMED (Hydrogène à Aix-Marseille pour une Mobilité Ecologique et Durable) project is part of this approach: it’s a decisive first step and the kick-off to a greater ambition that we share with our partner Iveco.”
Air Liquide and Iveco agreed in December 2021 to come together to advance hydrogen as an enabler for the energy transition of the transport industry by leveraging the expertise of Air Liquide across the entire hydrogen value chain, from production and storage to distribution; and the know-how of Iveco, the commercial vehicle brand of Iveco Group, a pioneer in the manufacturing of vehicles powered by alternative fuels.
Guests at the June 26 inauguration had the opportunity to visit the large-capacity station (1 ton per day) supplied with low-carbon hydrogen via pipeline and see the Iveco prototype, which features a fast refueling time at 700-bar pressure, Iveco said.
The Fos-sur-Mer station is part of the HyAMMED project supported by French funding. The new station is also part of H2Haul, the European project co-financed by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership. Air Liquide and Iveco were among the first partners of the H2Haul project when it was launched in 2019. A second high-capacity station (700 bar, 2 tons per day) dedicated to heavy vehicles will be installed in Salon-de-Provence to supply a potential fleet of 50 hydrogen Iveco trucks from 2025 in the framework of the R’HySE project.
“Our strategy for increasingly sustainable mobility is based on a technology-neutral approach and hydrogen mobility is a key building block on this path,” Iveco Group CEO Gerrit Marx said. “In fact, it provides an essential solution for high energy demanding commercial vehicle applications, such as long-haul transport. Today we showed that we have all the capabilities, both the vehicles and the stations, to put a true hydrogen mobility ecosystem on the road: the strategy is becoming reality. And our new, all-inclusive, pay-per-use rental model GATE (Green and Advanced Transport Ecosystem) will enable access to the hydrogen-powered vehicles.
“Today’s milestone allows us to further strengthen the strategic and fundamental partnership with Air Liquide, a leader on the international energy transition scene that, like Iveco Group, works to advance a more sustainable society.”