ACEA calls for 1,000 hydrogen truck refuelling stations in EU by 2030

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) has called for binding targets to be set per EU member state, plus the UK, to guarantee that the necessary number of hydrogen refuelling stations are available by 2025 and 2030 throughout the continent.

The association has highlighted the number of truck-specific hydrogen refuelling stations required in Europe by 2025 and 2030.

It said that across the 27 EU member states and the UK, at least 1,000 truck‐suitable hydrogen refuelling stations should be in operation by 2030. This includes five in the Republic of Ireland and 150 in the UK.

The ACEA said an EU-wide target of around 300 truck‐suitable hydrogen refuelling stations should be met by 2025 – with two in the Republic of Ireland and 50 in the UK.

While the first hydrogen fuel‐cell electric vehicles are already being rolled out in Europe, with around 60,000 trucks expected to be in operation by the end of this decade, the ACEA said the infrastructure to refuel these trucks is “almost completely missing today”.

“Because of their higher power and energy demand, heavy‐duty vehicles simply cannot use existing infrastructure for cars,” the ACEA said in a statement.

It added: “Policymakers need to take action to ensure a rapid infrastructure roll‐out as part of the review of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive (AFID).

“Indeed, an EU-wide target of around 300 truck‐suitable hydrogen refuelling stations by 2025, and at least 1,000 no later than 2030, should be set. Moreover, one hydrogen refuelling site should be available every 200 km along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core network by 2030.

“A hydrogen refuelling station for trucks should have a daily capacity of at least six tonnes of H2 with a minimum of two dispensers per stations.

“To guarantee that the necessary number of hydrogen refuelling stations are available by 2025 and 2030 throughout the EU, binding targets should be set per member state.”