Europe expands hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

A multi-partner project will demonstrate that hydrogen can support Europe’s future transport demands

A second pan-European deployment of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and passenger and commercial fuel cell electric vehicles worth £79 million has been launched. 

The multi-country, multi-partner project is set to demonstrate that hydrogen can support Europe’s future transport demands.

The six-year H2ME 2 project brings together 37 partners from across Europe and will include the deployment and operation of 1,230 fuel cell vehicles, the addition of 20 extra hydrogen-refuelling stations (HRS) to the European network and will test the ability of electrolyser-HRS to help balance the electrical grid. 

The project has been developed under the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) initiative and supported by the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH JU) with funding from the European Union Horizon 2020 programme.  

It will build on H2ME 1, which was announced in September 2015, with plans for 300 fuel cell vehicles and 29 HRS. Together, the H2ME projects will form the largest EU funded project for hydrogen mobility and fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) deployment. H2ME 2 will produce recommendations and identify any gaps that may prevent full commercialisation of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well as collating results to support future investments.  

“Today marks a significant day in the future of European transport,” said Ben Madden, director at Element Energy and project coordinator for H2ME 1 and H2ME 2. “Our aim has been to help bring the key businesses and public bodies investing in hydrogen mobility in Europe together to work on the common goal of making hydrogen-fuelled transport a reality in Europe.”

Madden continued: “Hydrogen Mobility Europe will demonstrate the use of hydrogen in the hands of a wide range of vehicle drivers from across Europe all of whom value the long range, low carbon and low emission driving offered by the technology. Understanding these customers will allow the sector to plan for the accelerated deployment of this important technology.”