Frankenthal, 1 October 2024 | H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and BASF have officially opened a new hydrogen filling station in Rhineland-Palatinate in the presence of Dr Sven Halldorn, Head of the Policy Department of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV), and Dr Nicolas Meyer, Mayor of the city of Frankenthal. At the site, hydrogen trucks and buses can refuel at 350 bar and H2 passenger cars and light commercial vehicles at 700 bar. Public refuelling operations will start next week on Monday, 7 October.

The hydrogen refuelling station is located directly next to the BASF site and is open to the public. With a daily capacity of approx. 800 kg, the refuelling station can supply up to 30 hydrogen trucks and buses per day. H2 MOBILITY Deutschland, responsible for the construction and operation of the refuelling station, is contributing to the expansion of the hydrogen infrastructure in the Rhine-Neckar region together with the chemical company BASF, which has invested a share in the 350-bar module.

Federal Minister Dr Volker Wissing: ‘The hydrogen refuelling station that opened today in Frankenthal is another important step towards climate-neutral mobility. The hydrogen refuelling station we are promoting complements the existing network of refuelling stations for heavy commercial vehicles and buses in the Rhine-Neckar region. We are thus creating the conditions for local businesses to convert their fleets to hydrogen.’

Dr Nicolas Meyer, Mayor of Frankenthal: ‘The commissioning of this hydrogen refuelling station marks a significant step towards sustainable mobility in our region. We are sending out a clear signal in favour of climate protection and the future of environmentally friendly transport technologies. Together with H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and BASF, we are shaping clean and innovative mobility for Frankenthal and beyond.’

Thanks to its convenient location close to the Ludwigshafen Nord interchange and therefore the A6 motorway, the refuelling station is strategically well situated for freight traffic. By 2026, three more H2 MOBILITY refuelling stations of a similar size and capacity will be built in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, including in Mannheim and Ludwigshafen.

‘The size of the refuelling station shows the trend we are moving in hydrogen mobility. A single station supplies different types of vehicles. This enables us to make the entire spectrum of mobility sustainable, including the area of commercial goods and passenger transport. The fuelling station in Frankenthal enables businesses, public transport and local authorities in the region in particular to switch to climate-friendly mobility with hydrogen. We would like to thank our project partners for their committed cooperation and the vision we all share for the success of the transport transition. Together with other new H2 MOBILITY stations, a redundant H2 refuelling station network is being created in the Rhine-Neckar region,’ says Martin Jüngel, Managing Director and CFO of H2 MOBILITY Deutschland.

By investing in the H2 refuelling station, BASF intends to further expand the intersections of the hydrogen economy in the region. In addition to the switch to more sustainable drive systems in mobility, CO2-free hydrogen is also an important factor in BASF’s energy transformation. ‘The prerequisite for a cross-sector H2 economy is close collaboration between hydrogen producers, distributors and consumers,’ says Dr Tilmann Hezel, Senior Vice President Infrastructure at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site. ‘This is where our collaboration with H2 MOBILITY comes in. With our contribution to the new refuelling station, but also with the construction of a water electrolyser, we want to pave the way for our suppliers and transport companies as well as regional mobility towards vehicles with fuel cell drives.’

Second expansion stage and green hydrogen

Demand for hydrogen is also expected to increase significantly in Rhineland-Palatinate, particularly in heavy goods transport. H2 MOBILITY is therefore planning to double the capacity of the Frankenthal hydrogen refuelling station in a second stage by 2027 and to install a second dispenser. In this way, up to three vehicles will be able to refuel at the same time (2x 350 bar, 1x 700 bar).

The refuelling station will be supplied with green hydrogen in accordance with the RFNBO standard (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) from 2025. It was only in September that H2 MOBILITY and hydrogen producer Lhyfe announced the signing of a contract to supply four refuelling stations with green hydrogen from the plant in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The locations also include the new refuelling station in Frankenthal. As soon as GHG quota trading for hydrogen is possible again in Germany, refuelling station customers in Frankenthal will benefit from the price advantages offered by green hydrogen.

H2Rivers: Rhine-Neckar hydrogen demonstration project

H2Rivers is part of the HyLand programme of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) in the HyPerformer category. The H2Rivers project paves the way for the widespread market entry of emission-free hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in the mobility sector in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and the central Neckar region. The development of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region as a hydrogen region is being funded as part of the National Innovation Programme for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP2) as a winning region of the ‘HyLand – Hydrogen Regions in Germany’ programme with up to €20 million in investment grants from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs. The hydrogen refuelling station in Frankenthal is being funded with €1,288,000 for its part. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ).

Dr Doris Wittneben, Head of Future Fields and Innovations, Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH: ‘As coordinator of the H2Rivers project, we are particularly pleased that the Frankenthal hydrogen refuelling station is another important building block for a strong, resilient hydrogen ecosystem for the metropolitan region. Rhine-Neckar thus provides a dense network of hydrogen refuelling stations for trucks, buses, municipal vehicles and cars. This makes the region one of the largest showcases for hydrogen technologies, from the production of green hydrogen and infrastructure to the use of hydrogen in fuel cell vehicles.’

Pioneer in Europe: H2 MOBILITY station network

Cars and small commercial vehicles, including industrial trucks and waste collectors, can currently refuel at around 80 public H2 MOBILITY hydrogen refuelling stations with 700 bar in Germany. Four further 700-bar refuelling stations are currently being planned, built or commissioned. Refuelling at 350 bar is possible for trucks and buses at 34 stations. By the end of the year, the number of 350-bar refuelling points will increase to over 50. The network is being developed in line with demand, including along the TEN-T corridors.

H2 MOBILITY Deutschland

H2 MOBILITY Deutschland is a pioneer in the development of a public hydrogen refuelling station network and Europe’s largest operator of public hydrogen stations. Its business areas include the technical development, financing, planning, construction, marketing and operation of the stations. H2 MOBILITY Deutschland was founded in 2015 as a project company with the aim of promoting hydrogen as an emission-free fuel in road transport. In 2022, the project company became a long-term, commercially oriented company with the aim of contributing to the energy transition in transport through a high-performance hydrogen refuelling station network. H2 MOBILITY Deutschland has set itself the goal of switching completely to renewable hydrogen by 2028.

BASF

Chemistry for a sustainable future – that’s what BASF stands for. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers from almost all industries and in almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. Further information can be found at www.basf.com.

Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar

Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH (Mannheim) was founded in 2006. In addition to the Rhine-Neckar Region Association and the Zukunft Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar e. V. association, its shareholders are the Rhine-Neckar, Palatinate and Darmstadt Chambers of Industry and Commerce as well as the Mannheim and Rhine-Main Chambers of Crafts. In cooperation with these and many other stakeholders, the regional development company coordinates project work in the areas of energy, mobility, innovation promotion, the labour market, education, health, digitalisation, culture and administrative simplification. In addition, Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH makes an important contribution to positioning and publicising Rhine-Neckar through location marketing and public relations work. The Future Fields and Innovation department at MRN GmbH is coordinating the H2Rivers project.

Contact:

H2 MOBILITY Deutschland: Daniela Dietz, Head of Communications, presse@h2-mobility.de

BASF SE: Florian Fabian, External Site Communications, florian.fabian@basf.com

Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar: Stefan Rößler, Hydrogen Project Coordinator, wasserstoff@m-r-n.com

Image: Copyright (c) H2 MOBILITY; from left to right:

• Martin Jüngel, Managing Director & CFO, H2 MOBILITY Deutschland
• Dr Tilman Hezel, Senior Vice President Infrastructure, BASF
• Dr Doris Wittneben, Head of Future Fields and Innovations, MRN
• Dr Sven Halldorn, Head of Policy Department, Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport Affairs (BMDV)
• Dr Nicolas Meyer, Mayor of the City of Frankenthal