Oslo hotspot for zero emission vehicles

Today the Oslo area saw the opening of its third hydrogen refuelling station. This station offers a fuel produced of water and will, together with the 17 new Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles showcased today put Norway on the international map for zero emission vehicles.

The new station in Gaustad, Oslo is the first one in Norway where the hydrogen is produced exclusively by water and electricity, which in this case is entirely renewable. With no other emission than water vapor, any fuel cell car using this station is an actual zero emission vehicle.

The new station and the large number of FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles) result from the largest EU-financed demonstration program for hydrogen and fuel cell cars. The H2moves Scandinavia project has a total budget of nearly 20 million euro and the aim is to accelerate the market introduction of hydrogen powered FCEVs by gaining customer acceptance for the technology.

Today was also the Korean car manufacturer Hyundai’s first showing of their hydrogen powered SUV ix35 FCEV to the Norwegian hydrogen project. The Nordic countries signed a letter of intent together with Hyundai earlier this year, aiming for advancing hydrogen as a fuel and preparing a market for fuel cell electric vehicles.

Allan Rushforth, Senior Vice President and COO of Hyundai Motor Europe, commented: “Hyundai believes hydrogen-powered vehicles will play an important role in guaranteeing the long-term sustainability of the European auto industry.  The ix35 FCEV boasts the same convenience and performance as a conventional vehicle thanks to a top speed of 160 kilometres-per-hour, a driving range of 525 kilometers and the ability to start in temperatures as low as minus 25 degrees Celsius. 

The cars in the project will be leased to private and industrial customers and used on an everyday basis. This will allow for a better understanding of regular customers’ satisfaction regarding the technology. The Nordic climate will be an additional check on how the fuel cells perform in real life.

“Electric vehicles with fuel cells are ready for the market and we will start with the serial production in 2014 already. But since alternative drives require alternative infrastructures, we work closely together with partners from governments, energy providers and several automobile manufacturers”, says Prof. Herbert Kohler, Vice President eDrive & Future Mobility of Daimler AG.

The hydrogen station, placed at research organization SINTEF, is manufactured by the Danish company H2 Logic and provides fast refueling of hydrogen in 3 minutes and a comparable range to gasoline on one refueling. This way hydrogen enables electric driving with the same convenience as gasoline.

“The new hydrogen station in Oslo provides a significant step forward in ensuring a refuelling network in Norway as well as Scandinavia. It paves way for the market introduction of fuel cell vehicles. Next step is to ensure support mechanisms together with governments”, states Jacob Krogsgaard director of H2 Logic A/S.

Test driving 

So far we have seen VIPs and politicians drive these cars. In the following week the general public will have the opportunity to be early in experiencing a zero emission car with the silence that comes with electric cars. On Saturday 26th of November, everyone showing their drivers license can go to the mall at Aker Brygge for a test drive accompanied by an expert from the car company. 

During the ZERO conference, taking place the 21st-22nd of November, conference delegates can take an FCEV for a drive at Gardemoen.

About the H2moves Scandinavia project

H2moves Scandinavia aims to demonstrate the market readiness of fuel cell vehicles and the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. The project wants to join Scandinavia into the ongoing fuel cell demonstration projects in Germany and the rest of Europe, thereby closing a hydrogen infrastructure gap between countries.

This is the first large scale demonstration project supported by the European Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking Programme. The total budget is 20 million euro and support is also given from both Danish and Norwegian national funds.

Download images at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/h2moves_scandinavia 

The project´s cars in Oslo

• Ten Mercedes-Benz B-class F-CELL from Daimler, range 380 km
• Two Hyundai ix35 FCEV, range 525 km
• Five Think city cars. Originally a battery electric car, now equipped with a fuel cell range extender, allowing a 250 km range

The Gaustad hydrogen refueling station

• 3 minutes refueling time in accordance with international standards
• High fueling pressure enabling comparable range as gasoline on one refueling
• Capacity to refuel up to 500 cars in a network on annual basis
• Onsite production of hydrogen using electricity to split water
• Electricity based on hydro power and CO2 certificates thus zero emission
• Station is manufactured by H2 Logic A/S www.h2logic.com

For more information contact

Christine Apelgren, Hydrogen Sweden Pm. Communication, H2moves Scandinavia, +46 708 837 683, christine.apelgren@vatgas.se

Dr. Uli Bünger, Ludwig-Boelkow-Systemtechnik GmbH Project Coordinator, H2moves Scandinavia, +49 896 081 100, Ulrich.Buenger@lbst.de

Steffen Møller-Holst, Market Manager for hydrogen technology, SINTEF
+ 47 92604534, Steffen.Moller-Holst@sintef.no