September 23, 2022
The Hopium Māchina, the French premium hydrogen sedan, is one step closer to production. CEO Olivier Lombard has announced that his company will construct a manufacturing facility in the North of France. Hopium has chosen Vernon, in the region of Douains, to erect its first plant. Once operational, the production lines will be capable of […]
September 22, 2022
The European Commission has given 13 member states the green light to boost hydrogen projects with up to €5,2 billion in state funding, an exception to the standard policy because considered an ‘Important Project of Common European Interest’ (IPCEI). The Hy2Use state funding project was jointly prepared and notified by thirteen Member States: Austria, Belgium, […]
September 21, 2022
Quantron has presented its QHM FCEV Heavy Truck at the IAA Transportation in Hannover, a MAN TGX-based hydrogen truck that boasts driving ranges of up to 1 500 km. That would make it the longest-range hydrogen truck on the market, with delivery expected in 2023. The Quantron QHM FCEV Heavy Truck uses two 120 kW […]
September 20, 2022
Iveco shows off its hydrogen and electric future for vans and trucks at the IAA Transportation in Hannover, thanks to partnerships with Hyundai and Nikola. Both the Daily light commercial vehicle and the Nikola Tre zero-emission truck will be available with either batteries or a hydrogen fuel cell. Back in March, Hyundai and Iveco announced […]
September 16, 2022
On this Friday, 16 September, Brussels sees the first taxi on hydrogen hitting the streets. It’s a member of the fleet of 500 taxis of Taxis Verts, owned since March by D’Ieteren Automotive. By the lack of a hydrogen car in its portfolio of Volkswagen brands, the D’Ieteren daughter had to fall back on Toyota […]
September 15, 2022
The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has conducted a study on the viability of decarbonizing European road transport with hydrogen trucks by 2030. It appears that, even with dropping (green) hydrogen prices and more stringent CO2 reduction measures, subsidies will still be needed to bridge the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) gap between renewable […]
September 15, 2022
Polish bus manufacturer Solaris has unveiled its Urbino 18 articulated hydrogen bus, a second zero-emission model with a fuel cell, which complements the existing Urbino 12. It adds space for up to 140 passengers while keeping the same 350 km estimated range, thanks to the addition of three extra hydrogen tanks. The Solaris Urbino 18 […]
September 01, 2022
Belgian gas network operator Fluxys, already preparing a future on hydrogen as an alternative ‘clean’ energy source, is studying the feasibility of creating a gas terminal in the Port of Antwerp-Bruges to import green ammonia massively. Ammonia, which can be transported easily in liquified form, is considered a good hydrogen carrier but can also be […]
August 31, 2022
BMW kicked off on Wednesday its fuel cell system production for the iX5 Hydrogen at the company’s competence center for hydrogen in Munich. The individual fuel cells are supplied by Toyota, while BMW mounts them into complete stacks in a fully automated process, and finally fits all the other components for the first limited series […]
August 30, 2022
The multinational steel-making company Tata Steel, with key operations in India, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, is investing 65 million euros in designing a new plant where the blast furnaces will no longer run on coal but on ‘green’ hydrogen by 2030. The new plant will be built in IJmuiden, the Netherlands, and should […]
August 25, 2022
After more than three years of fruitful testing with two trains, the German regional line between Cuxhaven, Bremerhaven, Bremervörde, and Buxtehude is now officially the world’s first passenger train line where hydrogen replaces diesel completely. Fourteen Alstom Coradia iLint trains will service the 100 km trajectory on a daily base. At the same time, Linde […]
August 23, 2022
Burning clean hydrogen in a zero-emission sports engine is even for German sports car manufacturer Porsche a potential alternative to conventional fuels or synthetic fuels (e-fuels) for combustion engines. It tested a 440 kW (590 hp) 4.4-liter eight-cylinder engine on hydrogen on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, but totally virtually… The car used was ‘a luxury-segment reference […]
August 11, 2022
Nippon Express (NX) Italia has launched an ‘eco-friendly’ last-mile delivery service in Venice, Italy, using hydrogen-powered boats to navigate the canals. Venice just got its first public hydrogen filling station in June 2022, only the second in the whole of Italy, one of the laggards in Europe regarding this alternative zero-emission fuel. Nippon Express Group […]
August 03, 2022
Hyundai is expanding its hydrogen truck fleet in Europe by delivering 27 XCIENT fuel cell trucks to seven German logistics, manufacturing, and retail companies. They applied and got approval for the funding of eco-friendly commercial vehicles from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV). BMDV has a budget of 1,6 billion euros available until […]
July 27, 2022
Making ‘green hydrogen’ with a sort of coffee machine at home? A Hong Kong-based renewable energy company called EPRO Advance Technologies (EAT) claims a breakthrough in using metallurgical silicon powder to do so. “Imagine vacuum-packed Si+ cartridges comparable to coffee machine pods and capsules; only add water to generate hydrogen anywhere.” It’s no science fiction, […]
July 20, 2022
Europe’s second biggest low-budget airline, British-based Easyjet, will work with British aerospace giant Rolls Royce (not the carmaker) in developing jet engines running on hydrogen. Both parties announced at the Farnborough aerospace fair that they will start ground tests this year, aiming to get the technology airborne by 2030. H2ZERO, as the cooperation is baptized, […]
July 13, 2022
In a few years, the largest green hydrogen plant in Europe may be built in the port area of Amsterdam. Together with the Port of Amsterdam, the young company HyCC wants to develop a plant with a capacity of 500 megawatts in operation by 2027. An initial feasibility study has been completed. The project, which […]
July 12, 2022
The Belgian materials technology and recycling group Umicore is investing in a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell catalyst production facility in China. Located in Changshu, northwest of Shanghai, the plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2024. It will be scalable to adapt to the growth of the H2 commercial vehicle […]
July 11, 2022
By 2050, about one-quarter or about 150 megatons (Mt] of hydrogen per year of the total global hydrogen demand could be traded worldwide through retrofitted gas pipelines or converted to ammonia for shipping. This would drastically reduce the transport costs and the bulk; 75% would be produced and consumed locally. The latter is projected by […]
July 08, 2022
DATS 24, Colruyt Group’s energy and fuel supplier, is opening its third H2 filling station at the Researchpark in Haasrode (near Louvain). With this opening, “DATS 24 emphasizes its belief in hydrogen as a fuel for electric vehicles”, says a press release. “Besides industrial and logistics applications, hydrogen also has a role to play in […]
July 07, 2022
Shell, the global group of energy and petrochemical companies, will build Europe’s largest green hydrogen plant in Rotterdam. Holland Hydrogen I, as the production unit is called, will be operational by 2025 and is expected to produce 60 000 kg of renewable hydrogen per day. In theory, good for the heating of a hundred thousand […]
July 06, 2022
Dutch and French gas industry, represented by net manager Stedin, gas supplier GRDF, and risk management company DVN, are analyzing three sulfur-free odorants and their suitability for hydrogen in the gas grid. Hydrogen is odorless by nature, just like natural gas. Odorization is a standard procedure for natural gas distribution operation and has proven to […]
June 28, 2022
A new study on the cost of decarbonizing European shipping shows that running ships on green hydrogen-based fuels would hardly make consumer goods more expensive. On the contrary, green shipping would add just a few cents to most consumer goods. “Green shipping would add less than 10 cents to a pair of Nikes,” says Faig […]
June 22, 2022
Sibelga, the manager of the Brussels gas and electricity distribution network, plans to use hydrogen by 2050 to heat old, poorly insulated buildings. According to the newspapers De Tijd, L’Echo, and La Libre Belgique, the company has had a study carried out for this purpose. As the availability of biogas is limited, green hydrogen could […]
June 21, 2022
Swedish truck builder Volvo Trucks has unveiled its first heavy-weight fuel cell electric truck with a range of more than 1 000 km and two 300 kW generating fuel cells on board to handle up to 65 tons of weight. Refueling takes only 15 minutes as a regular diesel truck. Cellcentric will provide the fuel […]
June 17, 2022
Belgian gas grid operator Fluxys and the French company GRTgaz are joining forces to develop an open-access low-carbon hydrogen transmission system between the two countries. In this context, they have launched a call for building a pipeline network of some 70 km between the industrial zones of Valenciennes in France and Mons in Belgium. Fluxys […]
June 16, 2022
On Tuesday, Hyundai Belux officially delivered ten units of its hydrogen-driven Nexo to the European Parliament’s professional drivers. Within the framework of the EU Research and Technology Development Project, there is already a fleet of ten Nexos operational since May last year. That fleet is now doubled. MP’s can use the hydrogen cars when they […]
June 15, 2022
American fuel cell specialist Hyzon is buying itself an entry into the German zero-emission truck market by acquiring the Orten Group, one of the pioneers in Germany for the electrification of new and used commercial diesel vehicles. “The acquisition brings three fully-operational production facilities and a team of over 80 employees under the Hyzon umbrella. […]
June 14, 2022
Seventeen Dutch companies and organizations have set up a partnership to develop a complete zero-emission drivetrain replacement for traditional propeller airplanes for the short-haul, based on electric motors fueled by fuel cells and hydrogen. They want to become a tier-one supplier of their HAPSS system to retrofit existing turboprop airplanes up to 40 to 80 […]
June 13, 2022
Hungarian low-budget airline Wizz Air will explore with European airplane builder Airbus all facets of flying ultra-low-cost on hydrogen. That includes the hydrogen aircraft, operations, infrastructure, the network, scheduling issues, ground bases, and airports. For this, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus that is to launch its hydrogen planes by 2035. Wizz […]
June 09, 2022
The Albany, New York-based company Plug Power will build a factory in the port of Antwerp on the former Opel site, NextGen District, to produce green hydrogen, zero-carbon fuel created using renewable energy and electrolysis. The investment will amount to almost 300 million euros. The Port of Antwerp wants to convert the gigantic 11-hectare site […]
June 09, 2022
Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool has just launched a new model range of zero-emission public transport buses and coaches for local transport at the Paris European Mobility Expo. Bus manufacturer VanHool is a family business from Belgian Koningshooikt (near the city of Lier), 75 years old in 2022, and primarily builds vehicles for Europe and […]
June 08, 2022
Flanders is beefing up the subsidies for investments in sustainable trucks for heavy transport and buses. For hydrogen trucks, the subsidies even double. “The government wants to support the sustainable transition,” explained the Flemish Minister of Economy and Innovation, Jo Brouns (CD&V). That is also why the financial support for fossil alternatives like LNG or […]
June 08, 2022
Toyota and its subsidiary Woven Planet Group have developed a prototype of a portable hydrogen cartridge of 5 kg with 3.3 kWh output. This could become an easily swappable alternative for batteries in all kinds of applications in and around the home, from powering household appliances and heating houses to fuel cell bikes and cars […]
June 07, 2022
British chemical company Ineos wants to build an open hydrogen network in Antwerp together with gas distributor Fluxys. The hydrogen network must serve as an alternative to fossil fuels. The Ineos factories may later become one of the largest customers of this hydrogen network. Climate-neutral Ineos is the first industrial player to sign an agreement […]
May 31, 2022
As part of a complete network of five hydrogen filling stations, DATS24 opened a second unit in Wilrijk yesterday. The forecourt lies along the busy lanes of the A12 and not far from the city of Antwerp, where garbage trucks drive on the emission-free fuel carrier. The plan for DATS24 to roll out several hydrogen […]
May 19, 2022
Mercedes is joining forces with Sila Nanotechnologies, who developed an innovative battery with a much higher density (+30 to 40%) than what we see today in lithium-ion EV batteries. The first of these would be for the future electric G-Class. Alternative to hydrogen Sila Nanotechnologies is a start-up from Silicon Valley in California that uses […]
May 19, 2022
Giant Japanese carmaker Toyota has announced a significant partnership with the French world leader in gas and technologies Air Liquide for hydrogen mobility. Together with Portuguese bus manufacturer CaetanoBus, they will act on developing infrastructure and vehicle fleets to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen for both light and heavy vehicles. “We are uniting our forces […]
May 17, 2022
French start-up of hydrogen cars Hopium wants to appoint Minister of Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari to its board of directors. Djebbari is still serving at the Elysée but has announced that he intends to retire from political life with the formation of a new government at hand. The specific tasks for Djebbari have not been made […]
May 16, 2022
The Afro-European startup NamX has presented a fuel cell SUV designed by Pininfarina set for market launch in 2025. The highlight of this Hydrogen Utility Vehicle (HUV) lies in its hydrogen storage. NamX’s patented technology combines a fixed hydrogen tank and six removable capsules as secondary tanks. These tanks were of primary concern also to […]
May 12, 2022
CMB-Tech, the tech daughter of Belgian shipping giant Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB), and another daughter, Dutch Windcat Workboats, have presented the ‘Hydrocat’, the world’s first hydrogen-powered crew transfer vessel (CTV) of this size. It’s 25 meters long, 7,3 m wide, and can cruise at a speed of 30 knots (55 km/h). The Hydrocat, with a […]
May 09, 2022
Anglo-American Mining has put its first hydrogen-powered mining truck on duty. This zero-emission behemoth is poised to replace the mining giant’s diesel-powered fleet and kickstart an entire carbon-free ecosystem if the trial goes well. The gargantuan dump truck, running on six tires the size of a bungalow, can transport 290 tons of ore and has […]
May 06, 2022
On Thursday, Siemens, the German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe, presented a new hydrogen train model at its factory in Krefeld. This first Mireo Plus H, as the model is called, was unveiled as part of the H2goedRail project, a joint endeavor with the German railway manager Deutsche Bahn. […]
May 03, 2022
Daimler Truck, Europe’s leading manufacturer of buses and coaches, plans to turn the page on diesel-powered city buses by 2030, aiming for a 100% electric offering that will rely, in part, on hydrogen. The German group, which has sold some 600 e-buses out of a total of 18 700 units in 2021, only wants rechargeable […]
April 29, 2022
The new Port of Antwerp-Bruges, a fusion of the harbors of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, wants to become “the green entry to Europe”. Its ambitions are not to be sneezed at: Port of Antwerp-Bruges wants to become Europe’s largest international export harbor, and at the same time reconcile economy and climate. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is determined […]
April 25, 2022
One of the first helicopters in the world powered with a fuel cell on hydrogen might take off as soon as 2023; a lightweight CoAX2D from German EDM Aviation. The latter, the first ultralight helicopter with a German Type Certificate, would be empowered with an 80 kW fuel cell from California-based green energy start-up HyPoint. […]
April 22, 2022
Flemish transport company De Lijn will order 99 electric buses worth 66,5 million euros next year. The delivery of the new buses should allow the old diesel buses, Euro 3 and 4, to be put aside by 2025. The Brussels transport company MIVB/STIB must also renew its fleet of buses that run on thermal engines: […]
April 20, 2022
French carmaker Renault announced it would unveil its hydrogen concept car on May 19th at the ChangeNOW summit to be hosted between the Grand Palais Ephémère and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, expecting 400 delegations from 120 countries. It looks like Renault is carefully following the hydrogen path for the passenger car of Toyota, Hyundai, […]
April 19, 2022
Spain is gearing up its efforts in hydrogen as a sustainable alternative to oil in the northern part of the country, spanning from the Basque Country over Navarra and Aragon to Catalonia. Beginning of this month, it announced the creation of the ‘Ebro Hydrogen Corridor’, with a network of 20 hydrogen filling stations by 2025 […]
April 14, 2022
The Belgian-Dutch port company North Sea Port, a fusion of the harbors of Ghent, Terneuzen, and Vlissingen, wants to become a hydrogen hub on a European level. The port company, therefore, developed a hydrogen strategy, it announced this week. North Sea Port and the industry are facing the challenge to make the transition from fossil […]
April 07, 2022
Two French industrial companies aim to replace all freight diesel locomotives on the non-electrified parts of the French rail network. Train manufacturer, Alstom, is set to develop a heavy-load fuel-cell locomotive, while energy provider Engie will produce and supply emission-free hydrogen from renewable energies. The new train’s first runs are scheduled for 2025. “Our ambition […]
April 07, 2022
Porsche has invested an additional $75 million in the international developer of electric fuels, HIF Global. The German carmaker wants to import climate-neutral e-fuel from their plant in Chile to keep the internal combustion engine alive in the 911 and make racing sustainable. There’s no denying it. While Porsche is at the forefront of developing […]
March 30, 2022
On Tuesday, French automotive equipment manufacturer Plastic Omnium announced its ambition to get into battery production. The industrial group specialized in automotive body parts – and, more recently, hydrogen – is in exclusive negotiations to purchase Actia’s Power division to design and manufacture onboard batteries. The French group has also purchased an equity stake in […]
March 24, 2022
Several demo cars of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen are traveling around Europe to gather support (financial and other) from all kinds of instances. BMW sees FCEVs as an exciting alternative for BEVs in the far future, and this move illustrates BMW’s belief in the technical solution. Last week, we talked with Jürgen Guldner, Vice President […]
March 23, 2022
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, DLR) has developed a ‘groundbreaking’ new concept of a lightweight plug-in fuel cell vehicle combining a 48 kWh rechargeable battery and a 45 kW fuel cell to offer a 1 000 km range. New letter words to learn: PFCV, PFCEV, PHFCEV? The Interurban Vehicle (IUV) […]
March 18, 2022
Flanders and Germany are betting on faster adoption of hydrogen to cut gas reliance from Russia. Flanders wants to convert natural gas from Norway to hydrogen in the port of Ghent, while Germany is starting a feasibility study for transporting H2 from Norway through a pipeline. The Flemish minister-president said that hydrogen is the only […]
March 16, 2022
Hyvia, the joint venture of Renault with American fuel cell manufacturer Plug Power, has started serial production of fuel cells in its factory in Flins, Yvelines in France. The Flins factory near Paris will produce some 1 000 fuel cell systems annually. With the 50/50 joint venture, Renault and Plug Power want to capture a […]
March 11, 2022
What was deemed impossible until recently, has suddenly become a reality because of Putin’s war in Ukraine. According to an analysis by BloombergNEF grey – or polluting – hydrogen has become more expensive than its green alternative due to the critical rise in prices for fossil natural gas it is made from. In Europe, it […]
March 10, 2022
Generally, BMW is very cautious about admitting hydrogen could become a viable alternative for the electric passenger car. But meanwhile, it proves at its test center in Arjeplog, Sweden, on the Arctic Circle, that its iX5 Hydrogen is better suited for extreme winter conditions than any BEV. No range loss and refueled in 3-4 minutes […]
March 08, 2022
The Italian manufacturer of LCVs and trucks Iveco is joining forces with Hyundai to cope with the development of green drivelines and the transition towards electrification and digitalization. Both manufacturers have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) or a preliminary agreement for cooperation. According to both companies, areas of mutual interest are electric powertrains, architectures […]
