The Dutch cabinet intends to speed up heavy traffic and trucks fueled by hydrogen. This was sent to the House of Representatives in a letter from State Secretary Heijnen (Infrastructure and Water Management).
In order to do this, it is establishing a subsidy program for more hydrogen filling stations and the corresponding trucks. It will first set aside € 22 million for this.
Heijnen hopes to increase the usage of hydrogen as a transportation fuel with the subsidy program. She intends to adopt a number of zero-emission driving strategies to help the climate. Powered by a battery or hydrogen, respectively. This also complies with European rules toward which the Netherlands has made efforts. This mandates that throughout the European Union, hydrogen filling stations must be established along highways every 100 to 150 kilometers and at significant metropolitan hubs, and that more hydrogen must be used in industry and the transportation sector (EU).
There are now 14 hydrogen refueling stations across the nation, albeit not all of them can accommodate large trucks. Investing in hydrogen trucks is difficult because there aren’t many of those stations. Additionally, opening a hydrogen filling station is not appealing due to the dearth of trucks on the road. Heijnen plans to use a subsidy program to resolve this chicken-and-egg conundrum. Because purchasing hydrogen-powered vehicles or buses is far more expensive than purchasing diesel-powered ones, subsidies are required.
Early in 2024 is when the subsidy program is planned to begin. The main idea is that projects get financial assistance if a filling station is constructed and the related vehicles are bought. 20 to 25 people on average each petrol station. The parties may also work together to accomplish this. Supply and demand are concurrently created in this manner, and more and more profitable hydrogen filling stations may be found around the nation.
According to estimates, the € 22 million that Heijnen has set aside for the subsidy program will be enough to launch filling stations with accompanying trucks in 5 to 10 locations across the nation. The specific amount will vary depending on the project ideas that are submitted. That is a fantastic start, but more is required to both fulfill the climate targets and get hydrogen off the ground on a wide scale. Heijnen is consequently looking into ways to increase funding in the upcoming time frame.
The Netherlands wants all new trucks to run without exhaust gases by the year 2040, joining an increasing number of other nations in this goal. This implies that by 2050, all trucks, which operate for an average of around ten years, will be clean.
