H2Accelerate has urged the EU to provide funding support for hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) and hydrogen-powered trucks to ensure 2030 targets are met.
Updated heavy-duty vehicle CO2 targets set by the European Commission demand a 45% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 2019 levels.
However, the organisation identified that whilst certain acts set out by policymakers have provided positive signals for the hydrogen trucking sector, such as the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), “uncertainty on the long-term business case is currently impeding the long-term large-scale investments needed.”
H2Accelerate’s recent Policy Paper has highlighted specific actions that must be taken by the European Commission to meet the 2030 target, including:
- Fund the joint development of HRS and hydrogen trucks.
- Coordinate geographic spread of hydrogen refuelling and production infrastructure.
- Create certainty on the availability of renewable hydrogen for mobility through the European Hydrogen Bank (EHB) and RED mandates.
- Ensure member states implement measures to achieve a competitive total cost of ownership with diesel trucks, through a carbon tax or RED credits for green hydrogen.
- Commit to delivering on existing policy and regulatory frameworks, and ensure they’re consistent with decarbonisation targets.
H2Accelerate, which includes Daimler Truck, Iveco, Volvo and hydrogen suppliers Shell, Linde, TotalEnergies, bp and now TEAL Mobility, stated that with sufficient funding and policy support, “the infrastructure and supply chain for hydrogen trucks can be deployed at scale.”
Read more: H2Accelerate welcomes TEAL Mobility to boost hydrogen refuelling
This will allow for technological improvements, economies of scale, and supply chain development that is “needed to lower the vehicles’ capital and operating costs, and hydrogen prices over time.”
Niklas Gustafsson, Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs at Volvo Group, said, “We see that today, the pathway to a positive business case is challenged.
“We are committed to realising the hydrogen trucking ecosystem, but we need to do this together with governments, through strong policy support to accelerate and sustain this ecosystem.
“We believe that recognition from all stakeholders on the challenges we are facing and the changes needed to resolve them is urgently needed.”
