Düsseldorf — H2 MOBILITY Deutschland, Stadtwerke Düsseldorf and the Rheinbahn start with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony in the presence of Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller in the construction phase of a particularly powerful hydrogen filling station for the state capital.
Commissioning is planned for the second half of the year. The project is made possible by the value-adding collaboration between the three cooperation partners.
With a daily capacity of two tons, the hydrogen filling station will offer ten times the performance of current conventional H2 stations and cover the daily needs of up to 100 fuel cell buses or trucks. Thanks to patented high-performance technology, up to three vehicles can be refueled at the same time – including trucks and buses (350 bar) as well as cars and light commercial vehicles, i.e. garbage collectors or industrial trucks (700 bar). Its high performance makes the filling station unique in Europe.
“The start of construction on the first high-performance hydrogen filling station in Düsseldorf is a further step towards climate neutrality in 2035. I expressly welcome the fact that Rheinbahn and Stadtwerke are leading the way in collaboration with H2 MOBILITY to advance climate protection in the transport sector. Buses and trains are the backbone of changing mobility behavior. In addition to expanding public transport, we also need continuous optimization of drive types in this sector. The use of buses powered by hydrogen and electricity in the Rheinbahn fleet and the expansion of the associated infrastructure is a benefit for climate protection, air pollution control and modern mobility in the state capital Düsseldorf. The commitment of the actors involved in this direction is exemplary,” emphasizes Mayor Dr. Stephen Keller.
Hydrogen: Important building block for achieving climate protection goals
The state capital Düsseldorf wants to become climate neutral by 2035, including in the transport sector. That’s why Stadtwerke Düsseldorf and Rheinbahn are cooperating with the experienced hydrogen filling station operator H2 MOBILITY Deutschland. Together, the partners create a fertile ecosystem along the hydrogen value chain. Stadtwerke Düsseldorf is investing in an electrolyser in order to be able to produce climate-friendly hydrogen on site in the future. The Rheinbahn is purchasing 20 fuel cell buses as part of the conversion of its fleet to climate-friendly drives. 10 buses have already been delivered and another 10 buses are on order. H2 MOBILITY Germany is building a public hydrogen filling station where all fuel cell vehicles can fill up with renewable hydrogen.
“The construction project shows that municipal partnerships along the value chain – from hydrogen production to infrastructure – have an accelerating effect on the realization of the transport transition. This hydrogen filling station serves local public transport, heavy-duty transport from surrounding companies and private cars. Thanks to our patented refueling technology, high-performance refueling of several buses and trucks in a row is possible at at least three dispensers at the same time. This year, the Rheinbahn and many other customers are already benefiting from the latest technology and the advantages of hydrogen propulsion – short refueling times with a long range,” explains Frank Fronzke, Managing Director and COO at H2 MOBILITY Germany.
Climate-friendly hydrogen for mobility
Climate-friendly hydrogen will be produced over the course of 2026 by an electrolyzer that is being built on the premises of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf and will be delivered from there to the neighboring property via pipeline to the filling station. The electricity for the electrolyser comes from the municipal utility’s waste incineration plant. This creates a cycle: energy for the public hydrogen filling station is generated from the city’s waste.
“We are working consistently on implementing our strategy to achieve climate protection goals and continually improve the quality of life in Düsseldorf as a business location. Investing in hydrogen technology is another important step towards achieving this goal and shows that we can expand infrastructure in such a way that the mobility sector can also make its contribution to achieving the 2035 climate protection target,” says Julien Mounier, CEO of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf .
Rheinbahn board member Michael Richarz adds: “The Rheinbahn stands for mobility and climate protection and is therefore an important partner in achieving climate goals and for a city worth living in. In view of the city of Düsseldorf’s goal of being climate neutral by 2035, we are working hard to convert our entire bus fleet to emission-free drives and the necessary infrastructure. In addition to the use of battery-electric buses, we are currently gaining experience with hydrogen drive technology. Through the cooperation with H2 MOBILITY and with the Düsseldorf public utility company, we will be able to refuel our first 20 hydrogen buses with hydrogen in the immediate vicinity of our depot in Lierenfeld.”
The hydrogen filling station Düsseldorf-Höherweg (HyLight3) project will include market activation measures as part of the funding guideline National Innovation Program Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Phase 2 ( NIP 2) funded by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMDV) with a total of 3,137,000 euros. The funding guidelines are coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the Project Management Jülich (PtJ).
Pioneer in Europe: H2 MOBILITY station network
Fuel cell vehicles can currently refuel at 700 bar at over 80 public H2 MOBILITY hydrogen filling stations in Germany, including cars and smaller commercial vehicles as well as garbage collectors. Four further filling stations are in the planning, construction or commissioning stages. Refueling at 350 bar for buses and trucks is possible at 24 stations. Further expansion will be based on demand, including for commercial vehicles along the TEN-T corridors. 18 additional refueling options for 350 bar are being implemented.
H2 MOBILITY Germany
H2 MOBILITY Germany is a pioneer in the development of a public hydrogen filling station network and Europe’s largest operator of public hydrogen stations. The business areas include technical development, financing, planning, construction, marketing and operation of the stations. H2 MOBILITY Deutschland was founded in 2015 as a project company with the aim of promoting hydrogen as an emission-free fuel in road transport. In 2022, the project company became a long-term, economically oriented company with the aim of contributing to the energy transition in transport through a high-performance hydrogen filling station network. H2 MOBILITY Germany has set itself the goal of converting completely to green hydrogen by 2028.
Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG
Stadtwerke Düsseldorf AG has been a service provider for electricity, gas, water and district heating for over 150 years and ensures waste disposal in the state capital. As one of the largest municipal utilities in Germany, Stadtwerke Düsseldorf supplies around 600,000 customers. With over 3,100 employees, the municipal utilities are an important employer in the state capital that stands for tradition and innovation. The actions of Stadtwerke Düsseldorf are consistently oriented towards the changing needs in their market environment and the requirements of a growing region.
Rheinbahn
The Rheinbahn is the mobility service provider for Düsseldorf, the Mettmann district and the Rhine district of Neuss and runs to six other municipalities in the area. It has stood for environmentally friendly and sustainable mobility for over 125 years. On average, more than 173 million passengers use the Rheinbahn every year. With 320 light rail vehicles and trams as well as almost 500 buses, it offers 136 lines in a catchment area of 570 square kilometers. It travels to around 1,670 stops and circles the earth around three times every day. The Rheinbahn employs over 3,200 people from 47 nations, including 110 trainees. This makes it one of the largest employers in the region.
Image: Stadtwerke Düsseldorf, from left to right:Frank Fronzke, Managing Director and COO, H2 MOBILITY Germany, Dr. Stephan Keller, Mayor of the City of Düsseldorf, Michael Richarz, board member, Rheinbahn, Julien Mounier, Chairman of the Board, Stadtwerke Düsseldorf
Read the most up to date Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Industry news at FuelCellsWorks
