The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two companies states that bp will investigate the feasibility of rolling out 25 hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK by 2030. According to the oil giant, the plan is to operate these stations with ‘green’ hydrogen produced using renewable energy and electrolysis. Hydrogen is seen by many as a key technology for decarbonising energy-intensive sectors such as aviation, shipping and long distance road haulage.
“Hydrogen is critical to decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors – and for heavy and long-distance freight it is sometimes the only answer,” said Emma Delaney, bp’s executive vice president for customer and products.
“Working with a leading manufacturer like Daimler Truck AG we can accelerate the deployment of both vehicles and infrastructure and pioneer the use of hydrogen to fuel the next generation of [UK] freight. From producing and supplying hydrogen through to building and operating the fuelling stations, bp is perfectly positioned to transform transport and ultimately build a better energy future.”
For its part, Daimler Truck expects to deliver hydrogen fuel-cell HGVs to UK customers by 2025. The company is exploring both battery power and hydrogen-based fuel-cells, with a preference for liquid hydrogen due to its greater energy density. It says that by 2039, it is aiming to only offer carbon-neutral vehicles in its European, North American and Japanese markets.
“We are consistently pursuing our vision of CO2-neutral transport. Especially for CO2-neutral long-haul road transportation, the hydrogen-powered fuel-cell drive will become indispensable in the future,” said Karin Rådström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks and Member of the Board of Management at Daimler Truck.
“Together with bp we want to jointly develop and scale the required hydrogen infrastructure by putting our hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks into our customers’ hand and thus supporting the decarbonisation of the UK freight network. At the same time, political support plays an important role in promoting the creation of an infrastructure for green hydrogen and making an economically viable use of fuel-cell trucks possible for our customers”.
