bp and Daimler Truck AG partner to boost hydrogen in the UK
Both companies want to have a network of up to 25 hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK by 2030.
bp and Daimler Truck AG will work together to help accelerate the introduction of a hydrogen network to help decarbonize the UK freight transport. They intend to pilot both the development of hydrogen infrastructure and the introduction of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks in the UK.
Under their memorandum of understanding, bp will assess the feasibility of designing, constructing, operating and supplying a network of up to 25 hydrogen refuelling stations across the UK by 2030. These stations would be supplied by bp with ‘green’ hydrogen. Complementing this, Daimler Truck expects to deliver hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks to its UK customers from 2025.
“Hydrogen is critical to decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors – and for heavy and long-distance freight it is sometimes the only answer. 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,” said Emma Delaney, bp’s executive vice president for customer and products.
Daimler Truck has the ambition to offer only new vehicles that are CO2-neutral in driving operation (“from tank to wheel”) in Europe, North America and Japan by 2039. The company is focussed on both CO2-neutral technologies, battery power and hydrogen-based fuel-cells.
The vehicle manufacturer has a clear preference for liquid hydrogen. In this state, the energy carrier has a far higher energy density in relation to volume than gaseous hydrogen. As a result, the tanks of a fuel-cell truck using liquid hydrogen are much smaller and, due to the lower pressure, significantly lighter.
