Bridging the gap to the competitive use of hydrogen vehicles for climate-neutral logistics
Prof. Dr. Ing. Jörg Ebert, Ebertconsulting GmbH, Cologne, Germany
Otto Uhlhorn, H2 greenpower & logistics GmbH, Münster, Germany
Jingde Tang, wisdommotor Co. Ltd., Zhangzhou, China
The future use of hydrogen in medium- and long-range logistics is undisputed, but the high expectations regarding the speed of its introduction have been dampened. A key factor is the still limited availability of the necessary infrastructure and service organization, as well as the still high product costs. As a result, there are currently no European FCEV offerings available. The presentation describes how the population of FCEVs necessary for large-scale infrastructure investments can be achieved. The current situation is that European OEs do not offer vehicles outside of test applications. Local hydrogen network operators are setting up hydrogen filling station networks. This network is extensive, and the filling points can only cover a limited hydrogen demand, usually a single-digit number of refueling operations per day. This is counterproductive given the long journey to the filling stations and the fact that, once there, insufficient capacity is available. At least there is an app available that shows the location, occupancy of the fuel pumps, and the respective hydrogen availability. There is no service infrastructure due to a lack of demand, but also due to a lack of training for specialist personnel and the availability of spare and wear parts.Economic efficiency compared to combustion-powered vehicles is possible: the filling stations must be located at a defined distance from the routes and loading and unloading points; the lower service costs due to the significantly reduced service requirements compared to combustion vehicles must be passed on to the vehicle operators; the range of the vehicles must be adapted to the infrastructure and break times of the drivers.
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