Air Products unveiled plans to build a network of permanent, commercial-scale H₂ refueling stations (HRSs), strategically located along major transportation corridors near the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). This vital infrastructure will help connect key locations across Europe and support the advancement of a safe and resilient H₂ ecosystem.

Air Products’ commercial-scale stations will deliver enhanced fueling technology, multiple pressure fueling options and ultimately, onsite liquid H₂ storage, which enables liquid fueling. As part of a robust European H₂ network, they will help ensure reliability and convenience for heavy-duty transportation powered by H₂.

Air Products’ HRSs will be supplied with renewable H₂ from its global H₂ supply chain network, providing a dependable energy supply to heavy-duty transportation. This includes a second H₂ liquefaction plant the company is building in Rotterdam, which, once operational, will double Europe’s total liquid H₂ capacity.

Progressing from plans to action. Air Products is already making progress. A number of current and planned stations have already been awarded subsidies by the European Commission through their Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) funding program. These include:

• HRS’s in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and Hürth Germany currently in commissioning phase
• An HRS located at the Volvo Group site in the port of Ghent, Belgium
• Europe’s first commercial-scale HRS with liquid H₂ in the port of Zeebrugge, Belgium.

In addition to CEF-funding, the company has also been awarded funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, to build two high-capacity, publicly accessible HRSs in Meckenheim and Duisburg, Germany.

In collaboration with Daimler Truck, a leader in heavy-duty transportation and decarbonization, Air Products’ latest mobile fueling station in Duisburg is being used in their pioneering H₂ truck pilot project.  As part of customer-trials, five Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks can refuel at the station enabling it to operate under real, heavy-duty fueling conditions.  This will offer vital insights into the liquid H₂ fueling interface and help inform the ongoing development of a future-ready H₂ ecosystem.

Aligned with Air Products’ commitment to convert its distribution fleet to H₂-powered vehicles, it is also trialing one of the GenH2 trucks as part of the project. The vehicle will be deployed in Air Products’ existing fleet to transport cylinder gases, allowing it to gain valuable experience in the field of industrial gas transportation.

The Mercedes-Benz GenH2 trucks will be fueled with liquid H₂, which enables a range of over 1,000 kilometers. In this aggregate state the energy carrier has a significantly higher energy density and as a result, more H₂ can be carried, which significantly increases the range and enables comparable performance of the vehicle with that of a conventional diesel truck. Transportation can be significantly reduced with liquid H₂, and liquid H₂ tanks also offer advantages in terms of cost and weight compared to compressed gaseous H₂. Thus, the use of liquid H₂ enables a higher payload. This makes the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck just as suitable for flexible and demanding long-haul road transportation as conventional diesel trucks.

Seifi Ghasemi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Products said, “With thousands of trucks delivering industrial gases to our customers every day, logistics is an integral part of our business. Trialing a Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck under real conditions is a critical step in our work to convert our distribution fleet to H₂-powered vehicles. On the pathway to sustainable transportation, safe and reliable production, transportation and distribution of renewable H₂ across the entire value chain is also essential. This is Air Products’ proven area of expertise, and we’re proud to be providing critical refueling infrastructure and liquid H₂ as part of this project.”

Martin Daum, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG said, “It is important to note that high-performance CO₂-neutral vehicles alone will not be enough to make sustainable transportation successful. This also requires a corresponding charging and refueling infrastructure, as well as cost parity with conventional vehicles. Although policymakers and energy companies are already active here, we urgently need even more momentum, across the entire Europe.”