Karlsruhe. – In 2050, a network of 140 filling stations for fuel cell trucks will be sufficient to cover their entire hydrogen needs. The costs for this amount to around nine billion euros per year. The researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI came to this conclusion based on a scientific simulation model.
According to this, road freight transport in Germany emits around 50 megatons of CO2 every year, half of which is caused by the approximately 250.000 heavy trucks weighing over 26 tons. In order to achieve the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement, transport must be almost emission-free by 2050. One possibility for decarbonization is to completely replace conventionally operated trucks with fuel cell trucks (FC trucks). This would require around 1,3 million tons of hydrogen annually. Although there are already more than 80 filling stations for fuel cell cars across Germany, most of them are not suitable or only suitable to a limited extent for trucks, as they cannot ensure either the required quantities or quick refueling, according to the working paper. With a fully developed truck filling station network, the stations would be “distributed relatively evenly across the motorway network”, with concentrations along transit routes and in industrial regions.
“According to EU guidelines, emissions from trucks should be reduced by 2030 percent compared to 30 by 2019,” explains Martin Wietschel, who heads the Competence Center for Energy Technologies and Energy Systems at Fraunhofer ISI. In order to “enable the helpful use of fuel cell trucks”, many filling stations must be set up early on: for almost 50.000 vehicles in 2030 there will already be 70 hydrogen filling stations, some of which are smaller, to cover the space. This comparatively high number of filling stations compared to hydrogen sales shows “that there is a great need for suitable business models. The question of state funding for hydrogen filling stations for trucks must also be clarified quickly,” said Wietschel.
To meet demand, there are two options: central production of hydrogen and its transport to the filling stations, and the construction of electrolysers at the filling stations themselves in order to produce the hydrogen directly on site. In the second option, the study authors recommend oversizing the electrolyzers and large hydrogen storage facilities at filling stations. “In this way, hydrogen production is cheaper, and due to their size and their high electricity consumption of around 65 terawatt hours per year, the truck filling stations can integrate the strongly fluctuating renewable energies well into the energy system and thus relieve it,” says a statement from the Fraunhofer ISI. This flexibility saves around one billion euros per year. The use of green hydrogen is essential to achieve the climate goals.
deep link
https://idw-online.de/de/news755553
https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/isi/dokumente/sustainability-innovation/2020/WP-09-2020_Wasserstoff-Tankstellen_Wi-Gnt-rose.pdf
https://nikolamotor.com/press_releases/cnh-industrial-brands-iveco-and-fpt-together-with-nikola-motor-company-announce-future-nikola-tre-production-in-ulm-germany-72
Photos
The battery-powered truck “Nikola Tre” from the American truck manufacturer Nikola Motor Company is scheduled to be built in the Iveco factory in Ulm from 2021 as part of a joint venture. According to Nikola, a hydrogen-powered variant could be available from 2023. According to preliminary manufacturer information, the output is 640 hp and the storage capacity is up to 750 kilowatt hours. “Nikola One” and “Nikola Two” are expected to be available on the US market next year. According to Fraunhofer ISI, a range of between 1.280 and 1.930 kilometers is possible with a hydrogen filling / © Nicola Motor Company
