Alina Oprea • 30 June, 2023 at 4:30 PM
The IVECO Group has already expressed its intention to deliver the first hydrogen-powered trucks by the end of 2023. Now, together with Air Liquide, a global energy leader, it has inaugurated Europe's first high-pressure hydrogen filling station in Fos-sur-Mer, Marseille. The inauguration of the station in France marks a step forward in the two companies' commitment to the development of hydrogen-based mobility in Europe, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the two companies in December 2021. Through this partnership, the IVECO Group, a pioneer in the manufacturing of alternative fuel vehicles, aims to promote hydrogen as a crucial enabler for the energy transition of the transport industry, leveraging Air Liquide's unique expertise along the entire hydrogen value chain, from production and storage to distribution.
The station at Fos-sur-Mer is part of the HyAMMED project ("Hydrogène à Aix-Marseille pour une Mobilitate Ecologique et Durable") and benefits from French funding. The new station is also part of H2Haul, the European project co-financed by Clean Hydrogen Partnership Air Liquide and IVECO were among the first partners of the H2Haul project since its launch in 2019.
A second high-capacity station (700 bar, 2 tons/day) dedicated to heavy vehicles will be installed in Salon-de-Provence in 2025 and will have the potential to fuel a fleet of up to 50 IVECO trucks with hydrogen.
"Our strategy for increasingly sustainable mobility is centered on an energy-neutral approach, and hydrogen-based mobility is a key element in this and we see it as an essential solution for the sustainability of long-distance road transport long. By inaugurating this station, we are proving that we have all the necessary capabilities, both vehicles and recharging infrastructure, to build a true hydrogen-based mobility ecosystem. With this step, IVECO's strategy becomes a reality. Today's milestone allows us to further strengthen our strategic partnership with Air Liquide, a leader on the international energy transition scene who, like the IVECO Group, works to promote a more sustainable society," said Gerrit Marx, CEO, of Iveco Group.
The participants at the inauguration of the high-capacity charging station (1 ton/day) could also see the prototype of an IVECO brand fuel cell truck. This transport solution for long-distance transport has a fast refueling time at a pressure of 700 bar.
“To encourage the widespread use of hydrogen as a power source, we must collectively create the conditions for the sector to grow. It is imperative to create a network of high-capacity stations dense enough to enable vehicle manufacturers and transport operators to embark on this transition. The HyAMMED project is part of this approach: it is a decisive first step and the launch of a greater ambition that we share with our partner IVECO", said Erwin Penfornis, Vice President of Hydrogen Energy World Business Line, Air Liquide
The global hydrogen fueling market was valued at $311.05 million in 2022 and is expected to reach a value of approximately $1,495 billion by 2032, according to a study by Precedence Research.