Air Products Trials First Mercedes-Benz Genh2 Trucks as Part of Pioneering Project with Daimler Truck and Announces Plans for a European Hydrogen Refuelling Network

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., July 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Air Products (NYSE: APD) unveiled plans to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale hydrogen refuelling stations (HRSs), strategically located along major transportation corridors near the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). This vital infrastructure will help connect key locations across Europe and support the advancement of a safe and resilient hydrogen ecosystem.

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Air Products' commercial-scale stations will deliver enhanced fueling technology, multiple pressure fuelling options and ultimately, onsite liquid hydrogen storage, which enables liquid fueling. As part of a robust European hydrogen network, they will help ensure reliability and convenience for heavy-duty transportation powered by hydrogen.

Industrial-scale Liquid Hydrogen in Europe

Air Products' HRSs will be supplied with renewable hydrogen from its global hydrogen supply chain network, providing a dependable energy supply to heavy-duty transportation. This includes a second hydrogen liquefaction plant the company is building in Rotterdam, which – once operational – will double Europe's total liquid hydrogen capacity.

Progressing from Plans to Action

Air Products is already making progress. A number of current and planned stations have already been awarded subsidies by the European Commission through their Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding programme. These include:

• HRS's in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Hürth, Germany currently in commissioning phase

• An HRS located at the Volvo Group site in the port of Ghent, Belgium

• Europe’s first commercial-scale HRS with liquid hydrogen in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium

In addition to CEF-funding, the company has also been awarded funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, to build two high-capacity, publicly accessible HRSs in Meckenheim and Duisburg, Germany.

Driving Hydrogen-powered Trucks Adoption with Daimler Truck

In collaboration with Daimler Truck, a leader in heavy-duty transportation and decarbonization, Air Products' latest mobile fuelling station in Duisburg is being used in their pioneering hydrogen truck pilot project. As part of customer trials, five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks can refuel at the station enabling it to operate under real, heavy-duty fueling conditions. This will offer vital insights into the liquid hydrogen fueling interface and help inform the ongoing development of a future-ready hydrogen ecosystem.

Aligned with Air Products' commitment to convert its distribution fleet to hydrogen-powered vehicles, it is also trialling one of the GenH2 trucks as part of the project. The vehicle will be deployed in Air Products' existing fleet to transport cylinder gases, allowing it to gain valuable experience in the field of industrial gas transportation.

The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks will be fuelled with liquid hydrogen, which enables a range of over 1,000 kilometers. In this aggregate state, the energy carrier has a significantly higher energy density and as a result, more hydrogen can be carried, which significantly increases the range and enables comparable performance of the vehicle with that of a conventional diesel truck. Transportation can be significantly reduced with liquid hydrogen, and liquid hydrogen tanks also offer advantages in terms of cost and weight compared to compressed gaseous hydrogen. Thus, the use of liquid hydrogen enables a higher payload. This makes the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck just as suitable for flexible and demanding long-haul road transportation as conventional diesel trucks.

Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products: "With thousands of trucks delivering industrial gases to our customers every day, logistics is an integral part of our business. Trialling a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck under real conditions is a critical step in our work to convert our distribution fleet to hydrogen-powered vehicles. On the pathway to sustainable transportation, safe and reliable production, transportation and distribution of renewable hydrogen across the entire value chain is also essential. This is Air Products' proven area of expertise, and we're proud to be providing critical refuelling infrastructure and liquid hydrogen as part of this project."

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG: "It is important to note that high-performance CO2-neutral vehicles alone will not be enough to make sustainable transportation successful. This also requires a corresponding charging and refuelling infrastructure, as well as cost parity with conventional vehicles. Although policymakers and energy companies are already active here, we urgently need even more momentum, across the entire Europe!"

Accelerating the Energy Transition Around the World

The announcement of a European hydrogen refuelling station network follows Air Products' recently shared plans to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale, multi-modal hydrogen refuelling stations stretching from Northern California to Southern California, U.S. and also between Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

As the world's largest supplier of hydrogen, Air Products has hands-on operating experience with over 250 hydrogen fueling station projects in 20 countries, and the company's technologies are used in over 1.5 million fueling operations annually. 

To learn more about Air Products' hydrogen fueling solutions and expertise, visit Air Products' Hydrogen Fueling website. 

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

About Air Products

Air Products (NYSE) is a world-leading industrial gases company in operation for over 80 years focused on serving energy, environmental, and emerging markets. The Company has two growth pillars driven by sustainability. Air Products' base business provides essential industrial gases, related equipment and applications expertise to customers in dozens of industries, including refining, chemicals, metals, electronics, manufacturing, and food. The Company also develops, engineers, builds, owns and operates some of the world's largest clean hydrogen projects supporting the transition to low- and zero-carbon energy in the heavy-duty transportation and industrial sectors. Additionally, Air Products is the world leader in the supply of liquefied natural gas process technology and equipment, and provides turbomachinery, membrane systems and cryogenic containers globally.

The Company had fiscal 2023 sales of $12.6 billion from operations in approximately 50 countries and has a current market capitalization of over $50 billion. Approximately 23,000 passionate, talented and committed employees from diverse backgrounds are driven by Air Products' higher purpose to create innovative solutions that benefit the environment, enhance sustainability and reimagine what's possible to address the challenges facing customers, communities, and the world. For more information, visit www.airproducts.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Instagram.