IRU’s EU-funded research and innovation projects H2Haul and H2Accelerate presented findings and engaged with key industry players at Europe’s flagship hydrogen event.
The European Hydrogen Week has welcomed hydrogen industry players from all over the globe in Brussels, including industrial, research and political figures from national and pan European groups.
Organised by Hydrogen Europe, the European Commission and the Clean Hydrogen Partnership, the event spanned five days of intense discussions to advance hydrogen research, implementation and enabling conditions across the continent.
IRU’s Ted Zotos and Holger Loewendorf were present at the H2Haul project’s booth and presented progress with key industry players on fuel-cell electric vehicles.
The project will test the deployment of hydrogen fuel cells in a real-world logistics environment, with the deployment of 16 prototype fuel-cell electric vehicles with the Colruyt Group in Belgium; DHL and the BMW Group in Germany; and Carrefour, ID Logistics, Malherbe and Jack Perrenot in France. In neighbouring Switzerland, four trucks will distribute goods to Swiss supermarket retailer Coop.
Project coordinator ERM gave an update on vehicle development and the hydrogen refueling stations that have been made operational. IRU member Iveco Group and VDL shared information on the actual vehicles that have been developed.
Ted Zotos from IRU presented H2Haul’s aims and status within the context of the wider EU road haulage industry. He also outlined the need for hydrogen for specific road freight applications and transport operators in terms of ranges; availability and suitability of refueling options; vehicle weights and dimensions; access to infrastructure and intermodal transport; and financial incentives and availability of green hydrogen supplies.
The H2Accelerate Trucks project was also represented by many of its partners, with IRU and the Iveco Group taking the opportunity to present the flagship project, a planned continuation of the H2Haul project with a deployment of 150 Iveco, Daimler and Volvo trucks in the pipeline.
Iveco and VDL hydrogen fuel cell trucks were also on display for attendees.
