BP and Daimler Truck to put 25 hydrogen fueling stations on UK roads
BP has teamed up with Daimler Truck AG to grow the UK’s hydrogen network with the installation of 25 refuelling stations on UK roads.
The two companies intend to pilot both the development of hydrogen infrastructure and the introduction of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks, in order to accelerate the introduction of a hydrogen network in the UK.
Under their memorandum of understanding (MoU), 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 – generated from water using renewable power.
In the UK, BP has plans to build a hydrogen-producing facility in Teesside, UK, which could produce 1GW of blue hydrogen, produced from natural gas integrated with carbon capture and storage. BP is also exploring the potential for green hydrogen in the region, including supporting the development of Teesside as the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub. These activities support the UK government’s target of developing 5GW of hydrogen production by 2030.
Emma Delaney, BP’s executive vice president for customer and products, said: “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, we can accelerate the deployment of both vehicles and infrastructure and pioneer the use of hydrogen to fuel the next generation of UK freight. From producing and supplying hydrogen through to building and operating the fuelling stations, BP is perfectly positioned to transform transport and ultimately build a better energy future.”
Complementing this, Daimler Truck expects to deliver hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks to its UK customers from 2025. The company has also set a target of offering only new vehicles that are CO2-neutral in driving operation in Europe, North America and Japan by 2039.
The company is focusing its efforts on both CO2-neutral technologies battery power and hydrogen-based fuel-cells. Currently, the truck manufacturer is testing a new enhanced prototype of its Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck on public roads in Germany. The first series-produced GenH2 Truck are expected to be handed over to customers starting in 2027.
Karin Rådström, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Trucks and member of the Board of Management at Daimler Truck, said: “We are consistently pursuing our vision of CO2-neutral transport. Especially for CO2-neutral long-haul road transportation, the hydrogen-powered fuel-cell drive will become indispensable in the future.
“Together with BP, we want to jointly develop and scale the required hydrogen infrastructure by putting our hydrogen-powered fuel-cell trucks into our customers’ hand and thus supporting the decarbonization of the UK freight network. At the same time, political support plays an important role in promoting the creation of an infrastructure for green hydrogen and making an economically viable use of fuel-cell trucks possible for our customers.”
