PRESS RELEASE
Passau, 22 November 2019 | Drivers of electric cars powered by fuel cells (FCEV) can refuel at more and more filling stations: H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and its shareholders Shell and Air Liquide today jointly inaugurated a new hydrogen filling station in Passau – the first in the administrative district of Lower Bavaria. The opening was attended by Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and Jürgen Dupper, Lord Mayor of the City of Passau.
Hydrogen is used to refuel electric vehicles with fuel cells. Its advantages: no noise, no pollutants, but the same use, speed and range as for passenger cars with gasoline or diesel engines. Hydrogen vehicles have ranges of 500 to 700 kilometres.
The hydrogen supply network in Germany is becoming denser and denser: There are already H2 filling stations in 16 cities in Bavaria, including Munich, Regensburg, Ingolstadt, Augsburg and Nuremberg, and coming soon to Landshut and Irsching. The filling station in Passau is the 77th hydrogen filling station in Germany, and the 29th in the Shell network.
The new facility at the Shell service station at Regensburger Straße 68 is located in the immediate vicinity of Passau city centre as well as the A3 federal motorway and the B8 and B12 federal roads. The filling station technology comes from the gas and technology company Air Liquide. The owner/developer of the station is the H2 MOBILITY joint venture, which is tasked with setting up the hydrogen infrastructure in Germany.
Operating a hydrogen fuel pump is intuitive for the driver; refuelling is similar to conventional vehicles and takes three to five minutes. The facility holds around 200 kilogrammes of hydrogen, enough to refuel 40 to 50 vehicles a day.
Hydrogen offers a climate-friendly way to expand the range of fuels available in the transport sector. Climate-damaging CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced, especially if the hydrogen is produced using renewable sources of energy
The hydrogen station in Passau is funded by the European Commission through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) as part of the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) project.
Comments on the opening of the Passau H2 station:
Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure:
“Zero-emission, quiet, and superbly efficient – hydrogen is one of the energy carriers of the future. For electromobility, we need drivers to have basic confidence that they can refuel anywhere and at any time. That is why we are supporting the development of a hydrogen filling infrastructure. It’s the only way we will get vehicles on the road. The new filling station in Passau is enormously important for this.”
Jürgen Dupper, Mayor of the City of Passau
“I am very pleased that the first Lower Bavarian hydrogen filling station has been located in Passau. At the same time, the expansion of climate-friendly fuel offers will create new opportunities for future mobility in our city”.
Thomas Zengerly, Spokesman of the Management Board Shell Deutschland Oil GmbH
“We will need all kinds of drive systems and fuels for the mobility of the future. Fuel cells offer major advantages, e.g. for long-distance journeys, including drivers in rural areas, for fleet operators and heavy-duty applications. Refuelling times are short and ranges are long.”
Markus Schewitza, Managing Director Air Liquide Advanced Technologies GmbH:
“Hydrogen is one of the best possible solutions for achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. It has the potential to decarbonise the transport sector, one of the main sources of pollution in our cities. Air Liquide is proud to be a contributor to the building of Europe’s largest hydrogen infrastructure”.
Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH:
“Zero-emissions passenger cars and commercial vehicles powered by fuel cells will command a significant market share worldwide and will make a major contribution to reducing transport-related emissions. This is why H2 MOBILITY is further expanding the hydrogen filling station network in Germany. By doing so, we ensure that more and more people and companies can switch to hydrogen.”
Picture: Andreas Scheuer, Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, is refuelling with hydrogen; Thomas Zengerly, Spokesman of the Management Board Shell Deutschland Oil GmbH, Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director H2 Mobility Deutschland GmbH, Jürgen Dupper, Mayor of the City of Passau, Markus Schewitza, Managing Director Air Liquide Advanced Technologies GmbH
About H2 MOBILITY
H2 MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG is responsible for the establishment of a nationwide hydrogen infrastructure for refuelling fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV, 700 bar technology) in Germany. The interim goal, by 2020, is to operate 100 stations in seven German metropolitan areas (Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Munich), as well as along trunk roads and motorways. H2 MOBILITY handles all the tasks – planning, construction, operation, and marketing – required for successfully expanding and operating the network.
The company’s shareholders are Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell and TOTAL, with BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen and NOW GmbH (National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology) serving in an advisory capacity as associated partners.
More information: h2.live
PRESS ENQUIRIES:
Shell Deutschland Oil GmbH
Axel Pommeränke, +49 (0)171 9728144, axel.pommeraenke@shell.com
Air Liquide Deutschland GmbH
Nicola Blumhofer, +49 (0)211 6699-4242, nicola.blumhofer@airliquide.com
H2 MOBILITY Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG
Sybille Riepe, +49 (0)170 58 70 317, riepe@h2-mobility.de