The EU must go further with its hydrogen infrastructure regulation if it is to adequately encourage the uptake of hydrogen vehicles, according to some industry bodies, while others say the regulation has gone too far.

Earlier in July, MEPs approved the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which mandates one gaseous hydrogen refuelling station every 200km along the planned Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), as well as one per urban node, by the end of 2030. Each refuelling station is required to have a 1t/d of hydrogen supply capacity.

MEPs had been pushing for a faster rollout, notably by 2027 on hydrogen refuelling stations, backed by industry bodies such as the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), in order to help kickstart demand in the sector.

“The European Parliament’s proposal to anticipate the deadline for the deployment of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure to the end of 2027 was not considered,” Carlo Giro, manager of goods and transport of the IRU’s permanent delegation to the EU, tells Hydrogen Economist.

200km – Mandated distance between hydrogen refuelling stations in EU

“The IRU reiterates the importance of providing options to the industry and not relying on one single technology to decarbonise the road transport sector.”

ACEA agrees with the IRU that AFIR’s mandates on the distance between hydrogen refuelling stations and battery electric vehicle recharging stations do not go far enough, adding they will make it hard for the trucking sector to decarbonise.

Alongside the hydrogen refuelling station mandates, AFIR also decrees that electric charging infrastructure dedicated to heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) must be deployed every 120km on 15% of the entire length of the TEN-T by the end of 2025.

Taken together, the battery charging and hydrogen refuelling laws will deliver too few alternative fuelling options for truck fleets, which are required to achieve a 45% emissions reduction below 2020 levels by 2030 under the new European Commission proposals, ACEA said.

“A significant infrastructure gap will continue to limit CO₂ reductions and the transition of our sector to climate neutrality,” said ACEA Director General Sigrid de Vries.

Varying models

But a separate analysis by non-profit organisation Transport & Environment (T&E) suggests AFIR does cover the needs of truck fleets required to hit the 45% cut by 2030 target.

T&E models show that AFIR will deliver an annual charging energy of 13.79TWh as well as 337,000t/yr of hydrogen by 2030.

T&E said a 45% cut by 2030 would lead to energy demand from the battery electric truck and coach fleet of just 8.13TWh. And 337,000t/yr of hydrogen would cover 98% of the needs of a 65% cut by 2030 target, T&E’s found, and far outstrip what would be required to achieve a 45% cut.

“If the ACEA recommendation were to materialise, it could potentially have adverse effects on charging businesses who invest in HDV charging infrastructure,” said the T&E analysis.

“As a result, there may be a considerable risk of financial loss, which may prompt the need for costly public subsidies funded by taxpayers.”

A third analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found the AFIR targets underestimate the EU’s battery electric charging needs but overestimate the EU’s hydrogen refuelling needs.

Modelling by the ICCT suggests battery electric trucks, rather than hydrogen fuel-cell EVs, will be the most cost-effective solution in the market for the majority of use cases until 2030 and indicates a need for about 80% more charging capacity than the AFIR proposal will provide.

Simultaneously, the ICCT estimates that fuel-cell trucks will require just 51,100t/yr of hydrogen in 2030—less than 20% of what the AFIR regulation will provide by 2030.

However, the infrastructure is likely to be needed later this decade as the price of hydrogen falls, and as a result the paper recommends pushing back the hydrogen rollout target from 2030 to 2035.

The European Commission will review the targets in 2026, taking into account technological developments.

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Author: Tom Young