Air Products, Schenk Tanktransport and TNO are committing to the Clean Hydrogen and Road Transport Project (CH2aRT), an endeavour which will develop hydrogen-powered trucks as well as a public hydrogen refuelling station at the port.

Boudewijb Siemons, Chief Operating Officer at Port of Rotterdam, commented, “All modes of transport, from shipping to road transport, must be carbon neutral by 2050. Hydrogen is a clean, viable alternative to diesel for freight transport.

“I am delighted that Air Products is taking the lead in this respect by commissioning the first hydrogen filling station for trucks in Rotterdam within two years.”

The CH2aRT project, which focuses on hydrogen in heavy-duty road transport, will see three zero-emission truck supplied Air Products, Schenk Tanktransport and others in the Rotterdam port area.

CH2aRT will also contribute to the HyTrucks project. The international consortium aims to deploy hydrogen in heavy road transport on a large scale by 2025 with 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks on the roads within the Rotterdam, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Antwerp areas.

Air Products will supply and operate the refuelling station in the Botlek area, as well as provide the green hydrogen.

TNO will monitor the entire project and use the insights obtained for the further development and application of hydrogen in heavy-duty road transport.

Kurt Lefevere, Vice-President Benelux, Germany and France at Air Products, said, “This partnership is very positive for Air Products as it offers the possibility, as the world’s largest producer of hydrogen, to contribute even more to the necessary deployment of hydrogen in heavy-duty road transport.

“It is expected that hydrogen will help meet society’s need to make transport more sustainable, based on zero or low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.”