Launch of Public Hydrogen Refueling Station in Heidelberg

H2 Mobility’s new public hydrogen refueling station, located at the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (rnv) depot in Heidelberg, is officially operational.

The refueling station can hold over 1,000 kg of hydrogen per day, with three dispensers providing fuel for rnv’s 27 fuel cell range extender articulated buses, as well as other H2 vehicles in the region. The station, developed and managed by H2 MOBILITY, is expected to offer public refueling by May 2024. The site is conveniently near to Heidelberg’s city center and the A5 highway.

The initiative marks a significant step in the metropolitan region’s hydrogen economy, according to Dr. Andre Baumann, State Secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Environment, Climate Protection and the Energy Sector. Supported by €16.7 million in funding for the H2Rhein-Neckar project, the hydrogen refueling station contributes to the creation of an expansive hydrogen ecosystem in the region.

Elke Zimmer, State Secretary at the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport, highlighted the importance of utilizing the knowledge generated from such innovative projects, emphasizing the necessity for nationwide mobility transition.

The new depot will accommodate 27 H2-eCitaro articulated buses, procured by rnv, as part of the H2Rhein-Neckar funding project. The new H2-eCitaros, utilizing both battery and fuel cell propulsion, enable longer emission-free bus transport, a significant advance for the hilly topography of Heidelberg.

Christian Specht, Mayor of Mannheim and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of rnv, emphasized the project’s role as an essential milestone towards climate-neutral local public transport and fostering a hydrogen-based value chain in the region.

As part of one of the largest demonstration projects for H2 mobility in south-west Germany, the H2Rhein-Neckar and H2Rivers projects are fostering a burgeoning hydrogen ecosystem in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region.