Loughborough, UK, 24th April 2024 – The flagship Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) project involving more than 50 organisations at the forefront of the sector has published its final Emerging Conclusions report. The report details key findings and learnings from the H2ME (2) project. The release of the Emerging Conclusions document marks the end of the European flagship project and highlights its contributions to hydrogen mobility. The project has supported 49 hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) and >1,400 Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), up to a third of all HRS & FCEVs deployed in Europe to date. The initiative, supported by funding from the Clean Hydrogen Partnership (formerly Fuel Cells and Hydrogen 2 Joint Undertaking), has brought together action in nine European countries. It tested the innovations required to bring hydrogen mobility sector closer to readiness for market. The project successfully performed a large-scale market test of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, passenger and commercial FCEVs operated in real-world customer applications. It further demonstrated the possible system benefits generated by using electrolytic hydrogen solutions in grid operations. H2ME 2 (2016 – 2023) is the natural successor to the Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME 1) project (2015 – 2020). Taken in conjunction, the H2ME 1 & 2 projects are the most ambitious coordinated hydrogen deployment projects attempted in Europe to date. The deployments intended to test and develop the European hydrogen market and performance of the technology, prove technologies at scale and apply learning to overcome some of the barriers to more widespread application.

The H2ME project, through its various actions, has demonstrated the potential for FCEVs as a green mobility solution, by proving the reliability of FCEVs, and identifying niches where they complement battery electric vehicles (BEVs). For instance, taxis where fast refuelling and long-range are important to an efficient business model and in other intensive applications such as commercial fleets. Though the focus on hydrogen in mobility applications has shifted to heavy-duty applications in recent years, the project has established that there will still be use cases for light-duty hydrogen mobility in Europe. The upcoming launches of fuel cell vans by major European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) signal potential for the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology in light commercial vehicles.

Furthermore, H2ME has demonstrated the feasibility of a scalable hydrogen supply infrastructure, with an emphasis on electrolytic hydrogen production from renewable sources. While more work is needed to establish a satisfactory hydrogen refuelling network across Europe, the project has generated valuable learnings and advancements in technical expertise, which will impact future deployments by infrastructure providers. This in turn could augment green job creation, energy security, and CO2 reductions. Prior to H2ME, the European FCEV market was still in its early stages, but now, with increased deployment and expanding fleets, including taxis and vans, H2ME has played a pivotal role in catalysing broader activity across various vehicle segments, marking a significant shift in hydrogen mobility adoption. Vehicles reporting data to H2ME have driven >40 million km, with one reporting a range of 650km on a single refuel. A total of 12 different models of FCEV have been deployed through H2ME. HRS reporting data to H2ME have dispensed 917,000 kg of hydrogen in 361,000 refuelling events.