H2Accelerate announces accession of TotalEnergies unveils whitepaper on hydrogen trucking in Europe

Source: this press release was issued by H2Accelerate and the original version can be found here.

H2Accelerate today can announce that TotalEnergies has joined the collaboration, alongside of Daimler Truck AG, IVECO, OMV, Shell, and the Volvo Group.  The group also launches the first in a series of whitepapers in support of the use of hydrogen in long-haul trucking.  The paper was published on the new H2Accelerate website, which will serve as a hub for the evidence base developed by the collaboration to demonstrate the benefits of hydrogen trucking and the support needed to facilitate its wide-scale roll-out.   

TotalEnergies joins H2Accelerate 

The participants of H2Accelerate, which are committed to working together to accelerating the deployment of green hydrogen for trucking, comprise both hydrogen producers and infrastructure operators, and vehicle manufacturers.  TotalEnergies has been welcomed to the group as a key future supplier of green hydrogen and owner of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for trucking.   

John Wilson, Vice President, Gas Mobility at TotalEnergies Marketing and Services, said of the announcement:  

“The environmental and practical benefits of driving on hydrogen (H2) make it one of the most promising alternative fuels for tomorrow's sustainable mobility, particularly in long-haul road transport. To meet the 2030 emission reduction targets for this segment, we must work together across the H2 value chain to ensure that this energy, the vehicles and the required infrastructure are in place as soon as possible. This is what H2Accelerate is striving for. Becoming a member will help us in our goal to develop hydrogen refuelling stations for trucks in Europe, and beyond, and is another step towards our Climate Ambition to reach Net Zero emissions by 2050 together with society.”  

Ben Madden, spokesperson for the H2Accelerate Collaboration, said of TotalEnergies joining the group: 

“We are excited to today welcome TotalEnergies to the H2Accelerate Collaboration.  It is clear that pan-European cooperation is necessary to drive the deployment of hydrogen infrastructure at the required scale, and the participation of a major player such as TotalEnergies marks yet another milestone in the decarbonisation of the heavy-duty trucking sector.” 

Whitepaper: the need for hydrogen trucking 

The whitepaper on the ‘Need for hydrogen trucking’ sets out the underlying arguments in favour of the use of hydrogen to decarbonise long-haul trucks. The evidence for two key aspects of the case for hydrogen are discussed within the paper:  

• The role of hydrogen in facilitating rapid and enhanced renewable energy deployment, by allowing the large-scale storage and distribution of renewable energy.  

• The need for hydrogen as the only zero-carbon zero-emission fuel in the heavy-duty trucking sector which can provide a combination of fast refuelling and very long range between refuels.   

By demonstrating that hydrogen will form an essential part of an energy system powered by renewables, and that hydrogen is able to serve the needs of truck operators on long-haul routes, the paper shows that hydrogen is a powerful tool to decarbonise long-haul trucking.   

The H2Accelerate participants intend to publish further whitepapers on expectations for the uptake of hydrogen trucking and the requirements for policy support. These are intended to inform decisions which can help move Europe towards a commercially sustainable hydrogen trucking system during this decade.  These papers will be published through the H2Accelerate website throughout the year.   

H2Accelerate spokesperson Ben Madden said of the whitepaper release: 

“While ambitious targets have already been set for the deployment of hydrogen trucks over the coming ten years, this cannot be achieved without an acceleration of deployment on the ground.  The publication of the first H2Accelerate whitepaper shows the unification of companies of significant scale and influence behind the vital importance of hydrogen in both sustainable energy systems and in long haul trucking.  With the right policy support in place, we believe that the companies involved in H2Accelerate can act as a catalyst for the transition to decarbonised trucking.” 

H2Accelerate participants believe that synchronized investments across the hydrogen trucking sector during the 2020s will create the conditions for the mass market roll-out of hydrogen fuelled heavy duty transportation which is required to meet the European ambition of net zero emissions by 2050. The decade long scale-up is expected to begin with groups of customers willing to make an early commitment to hydrogen-based trucking. These fleets are expected to operate in regional clusters and along European high-capacity corridors with good refuelling station coverage. During the decade, these clusters can then be interconnected to build a truly pan-European network.  

Throughout the scale up, support from the public sector will be required. Under H2Accelerate, the participants expect to work together to seek funding for early pre-commercial projects during the first phase of the roll-out. In parallel, the participants will engage with policy makers and regulators to encourage a policy environment which will help support the subsequent scale up into volume manufacturing for hydrogen trucks and a Europe-wide refuelling network for zero carbon hydrogen fuel. 

About TotalEnergies 

TotalEnergies is a broad energy company that produces and markets energies on a global scale: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our 105,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, clean, reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.  

About H2Accelerate 

H2Accelerate is a collaboration agreement signed between the participants under which the participants will work together to: 

• seek public support to fund early pre-commercial projects to activate the market on the path towards a mass market roll-out; 

• communicate around the technical and commercial viability of hydrogen fuelled trucking at scale; and 

• hold discussions with policy makers and regulators to encourage policies which can support a sustainable and speedy activation of the zero emissions long haul trucking market.  

You can follow the H2Accelerate Collaboration on Twitter (@H2AccelerateEU).

Find the H2Accelerate website: https://h2accelerate.eu/

Contacts
For questions on this press release please contact H2Accelerate: [email protected]
For questions on TotalEnergies please contact: [email protected]