Refueling with Hydrogen Now Also Available in Herten

Drivers of fuel cell electric vehicles can now also refuel at the hydrogen (H2) station in Herten: H2 MOBILITY Deutschland and its shareholder Linde officially opened the H2 station in Herten today (Friday, June 14) in the presence of District Administrator Cay Süberkrüb, Recklinghausen District, and Mayor Fred Toplak, City of Herten. It is the fifth station in the Ruhr region. The hydrogen supply network in Germany is thus becoming increasingly dense.

The location directly at the h2herten application center at the intersection of Marie-Curie-Str./Albert-Einstein Allee is close to the A2 and the Recklinghausen junction and thus also to the A43. A total of 15 hydrogen refueling stations are already available in North Rhine-Westphalia, including in Wuppertal, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Münster. During the “Hydrogen Week NRW” from June 23 to June 28, stations in Aachen, Siegen, and Duisburg will also be officially opened.

The developer of the H2 station in Herten is H2 MOBILITY Deutschland – a joint venture that is expanding the hydrogen infrastructure in Germany. The refueling station technology comes from the gas and technology company Linde. Nikolas Iwan, Managing Director of H2 MOBILITY Deutschland: “H2 MOBILITY continues to expand the hydrogen refueling station network in Germany: this year we are opening a station on average every two weeks; by the end of the year, hydrogen customers will be able to refuel at approximately 100 stations in Germany. The technology is market-ready.”

The hydrogen station in Herten represents the latest state of the art. Its operation by the driver is intuitive; refueling is similar to that of conventional vehicles and is completed in three to five minutes. Linde’s ionic compressor IC 90 is used, which compresses gaseous hydrogen in five stages to up to 900 bar. “Hydrogen technology plays a crucial role in the spread of electromobility. High range, short refueling time, and good on-site storage capacity are decisive criteria,” said Dr. Christian Bruch, Member of the Executive Board of Linde AG. “Linde technologies are used at all key points in the H2 value chain and ensure high efficiency.”

E-Mobility with Hydrogen Reduces CO2 Emissions
H2 offers the opportunity to expand the fuel supply in the transport sector in a climate-friendly manner, because with the help of hydrogen produced using renewable energy, harmful CO2 emissions can be significantly reduced. The operation of a hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle produces neither local pollutants nor emissions. The range of these vehicles is 500 to 700 kilometers per tank.

For electromobility with hydrogen to become a success story, an attractive range of fuel cell vehicles as well as comprehensive infrastructure is required. The expansion of the corresponding refueling station network is progressing well. Fred Toplak, Mayor of the City of Herten, was pleased with the successful start: “I am delighted that the refueling station represents another project component for the Herten Hydrogen Competence Center,” said Fred Toplak at the opening. “My special thanks go to the local partners Abfallentsorgungsgesellschaft Ruhrgebiet, Autohaus Glück Auf, and Concord Blue for their sustainable project commitment.”

The hydrogen station in Herten is funded by the European Commission through the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking (FCH 2 JU) in the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) project.

Photos: André Chrost