Germany makes €23.5 million available for fuel cell projects

The development of hydrogen mobility is continuing to be supported by the German government. The federal Ministry of Transport recently announced that another €23.5 million has been allocated to projects as part of the National Innovation Programme on Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NIP).

Andreas Scheuer, federal Transport Minister, stated: “Hydrogen, fuel cells and electricity move the future. We have seen many studies and pilot projects in recent years. We need them on the road now – because today we have to convince the citizens that the technology works and is a real milestone towards the CO2-neutral mobility of tomorrow”.

The types of project being funded varies greatly, from the development of a hydrogen bus and a fuel-cell powered road sweeper, to forklift trucks and the vehicles of a ride-pooling fleet. Specific funding includes approximately:

• €10 million to StreetScooter for 500 fuel cell vehicles;
• €8 million to MAN and Shell, who are aiming to develop a fuel cell system, including a self-sufficient refuelling system, for heavy commercial vehicles in collaboration with Anleg GmbH and TU Braunschweig;
• €750,000 to CleverShuttle to purchase another 50 fuel cell vehicles for its ridesharing service.

Additional funding is also going to organisations such as:

• Günsel, a company planning to purchase 89 fuel cell trucks for use at the BMW plant in Leipzig;
• EvoBus (a subsidiary of Daimler) for the development of a battery-electric city bus that has a fuel cell as a range extender;
• Faun Umwelttechnik for waste collection vehicles and sweepers with fuel cell drive.

The Federal Government has been investing in research and development (including through the NIP under which this funding was allocated) since 2006. A new call for funding for fuel cell cars in fleets has recently been published by the federal Transport Ministry, for which up to €5 million is to be made available. Applications must be submitted by 31 January 2020.