Luxury automaker Daimler and hydrogen supplier The Linde Group announced on June 1 that they plan to construct an additional 20 filling stations for hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles throughout Germany – placing that nation at the forefront of hydrogen infrastructure development.
The news surfaced at the end of the Mercedes-Benz F-CELL World Drive in Stuttgart. The World Drive, which began at the end of January, was the first circumnavigation of the globe in fuel-cell vehicles, covering four continents and 14 countries. Each of the vehicles involved drove more than 30,000 kilometers, or close to 19,000 miles. Linde accompanied the F-CELL World Drive as the exclusive hydrogen partner, providing the zero-emission vehicles with a mobile supply of hydrogen for the duration of the tour.
The new Daimler-Linde initiative will make it possible to drive anywhere in Germany with a fuel-cell-powered vehicle. It ties in with existing H2 Mobility and Clean Energy Partnership infrastructure projects, which are being subsidized by the National Innovation Programme (NIP) for hydrogen and fuel-cell technology.
Munich-based Linde and Stuttgart –based Daimler will spend tens of millions of dollars to more than triple the number of public hydrogen refueling points in Germany. The new stations will be located in Stuttgart, Berlin, and Hamburg as well as along two new continuous north-south and east-west axes.
Germany already is the European leader in hydrogen infrastructure development, with nearly 30 hydrogen refueling points, seven of which are public filling stations. The partners estimate that five to ten filling stations are sufficient for conveniently servicing the requirements of a large city.
“Together with the fuel cell, hydrogen is set to be of fundamental importance to the expansion of electromobility,” explained Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Reitzle, CEO of Linde AG. “We are delighted to be able to play such an instrumental role in shaping this development together with Daimler. We see ourselves as providing an impetus for existing initiatives, such as H2 Mobility and the Clean Energy (News - Alert) Partnership (CEP), and wish to support the commercialization of hydrogen vehicles as best we can. By systematically developing hydrogen technology, Germany can assume a pioneering role in this field and establish itself as the industry leader as we move towards emission-free mobility.”
“The fuel cell represents a decisive step forward for electromobility, as it enables zero-emission driving with high ranges and short refueling times – and not just for passenger cars, but for commercial vehicles, too. In partnership with Linde, we are now taking the next step by getting things going on the infrastructure side. Twenty new hydrogen filling stations will give the market a major stimulus,” remarked Dr. Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars .
Construction and commissioning of the new filling stations will start in 2012. The two companies are inviting other partners from the petroleum, power supply or automotive industries to become involved in the joint initiative.
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Cheryl Kaften is an accomplished communicator who has written for consumer and corporate audiences. She has worked extensively for MasterCard (News - Alert) Worldwide, Philip Morris USA (Altria), and KPMG, and has consulted for Estee Lauder and the Philadelphia Inquirer Newspapers. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Jennifer Russell
