Hydrogen mobility has not yet picked up speed
Published: Monday, Jul 8th 2024, 11:20
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The network of hydrogen filling stations in Switzerland is still limited. High costs for sustainably produced hydrogen dampen customer demand and prevent filling station operators from expanding. This is set to change.
The hydrogen car is a rarity in this country: in the first six months of the current year, just eight vehicles with this drive system were newly registered in Switzerland. Even exclusive sports car manufacturers are selling more vehicles.
Numerous industry experts do not believe that hydrogen has a future in cars. One of them is car expert Ferdinand Dudenhöffer: "Fuel cells are too expensive for cars." However, he sees a future for commercial vehicles. "The hydrogen drive will come to trucks." Because batteries are simply too heavy for long distances.
Rare in heavy traffic
However, hydrogen still plays a subordinate role in trucks too. Most "trucks" are still powered by diesel. According to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), only 56 hydrogen trucks were registered in Switzerland at the end of last year.
And yet the infrastructure is being expanded, albeit at a leisurely pace. The 18th public hydrogen filling station will be opened in July. Most of these filling stations can be found along the A1 highway. Bernhard Wüest, Managing Director of the H2 Mobility Switzerland Association, says that the filling stations have primarily been adapted to the needs of logistics companies due to the higher sales potential.
Wüest adds that the petrol station network is currently barely able to cover its costs. This is why numerous filling station projects are currently not being implemented despite planning permission. "The main reasons for this are likely to be the delay in the construction of hydrogen production facilities and the high price of electricity."
Green hydrogen, produced with renewable electricity, currently costs 20 francs per kilogram. This means that 100 kilometers with an average hydrogen truck costs around 160 francs. "The fuel costs for a diesel truck are therefore half those of a hydrogen truck," explains Marc Ziegler, CEO of commercial vehicle importer Auto AG.
Customers satisfied
When Luzerner Auto AG launched its first hydrogen commercial vehicles four years ago, a kilo of green hydrogen cost around 12 francs. "We would be competitive at this price, provided the exemption from the heavy vehicle charge for zero-emission vehicles remains in place," says Ziegler. But then the energy crisis catapulted the price of electricity upwards.
Ziegler is convinced that customers with hydrogen trucks are satisfied and that the technology has proven itself. However, they are currently also realizing that the overall costs are not competitive. "That's why demand is currently rather modest."
Hydrospider is an important Swiss hydrogen producer. The joint venture with majority shareholders Alpiq and H2 Energy delivered the first 1000 tons of green hydrogen at the beginning of June. "Studies assume that green hydrogen will become much cheaper in the long term and should therefore also be used in much larger quantities," says Alpiq spokeswoman Valérie Gerl.
One reason for this is increasing production capacities. At the end of April, the energy company Axpo, together with Rhiienergie, commissioned Switzerland's largest hydrogen production plant to date in Domat/Ems. It is expected to produce up to 350 tons of green hydrogen per year, which corresponds to around 1.5 million liters of diesel.
Short-term shortage
"There is technology and scaling potential along the hydrogen value chain that should have a positive impact on the price," says Luka Cuderman, Business Strategist in Axpo's H2 team. In the short term, however, there is a shortage of plant technology. For example, in electrolysers, in which hydrogen is produced with the help of water and electricity.
The industry is therefore also pinning its hopes on politicians. However, the signals are currently contradictory. On the one hand, the Electricity Act exempts hydrogen production plants from the grid fee, while on the other hand the exemption from the heavy vehicle charge for hydrogen and electric trucks is to be abolished in 2030.
"In order for the federal government to achieve the goals set out in the Energy Perspectives 2050+, regulatory adjustments and financial aid are probably unavoidable," explains Wüest from H2 Mobility Switzerland. He now hopes that the federal government will define a suitable framework with its hydrogen strategy at the end of the year.
©Keystone/SDA
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