How emission-free heavy-duty transport with hydrogen on long-distance routes can become a reality was demonstrated by Miriam Theis, Business Development Manager Hydrogen for Mobility at Air Products GmbH, in her lecture on May 2, 2025, on the “Truck & Bus” stage of the Conference Days. The focus was on current projects for developing a European hydrogen refueling station network, concrete production plans for green hydrogen, and strategic responses to infrastructure challenges.
Theis emphasized: Switching to hydrogen in the transport sector is feasible – both technically and in terms of supply security. In a new production facility in Saudi Arabia with a planned electrolysis capacity of 2.2 GW, starting around 2026/2027, up to 600 tons of green hydrogen
will be produced daily from water. Additionally, a facility for liquid hydrogen production is being set up in Rotterdam to double the European supply. The goal is to build a refueling station network along the TEN-T corridors – in compliance with the EU regulation AFIR, which requires refueling stations every 200 kilometers with at least 700 bar and a daily capacity of 1 ton.
Obstacles on the Road to a Hydrogen Economy in Transport
Accompanying surveys among the participants showed some sobering results: The majority consider the development of hydrogen mobility and infrastructure in their own companies to be unchanged or worse compared to the previous year. Theis confirmed this impression – progress on large projects requires
patience. Nonetheless, political pressure from the European Green Deal, Fit-for-55, and increasing toll fees for diesel trucks is a significant driver of the transformation.
Compared to electromobility, hydrogen trucks score particularly well in terms of range and frequency: While battery electric vehicles sometimes need to be charged after just 300 kilometers, H2 combustion engines reach 600 kilometers, and fuel cell vehicles even 1,000 kilometers – with a refueling time of only 12 to 15 minutes. The hydrogen expert advocates for choosing the right technology for the specific application case.
Fundamentally, hydrogen technology in transport is still stuck in a chicken-and-egg problem. The state must set stronger incentives here, similar to electromobility, to justify the high initial investments.
China, as well as the Netherlands, are doing many things right in this regard.
Digital Forum for Logistics Decision-Makers
The session took place as part of the Conference Days 2025 – a purely digital B2B event organized by HUSS-VERLAG, which will be held for the fifth time from May 12 to 15, 2025, on CONFERENCE-DAYS.de. Over 1,100 participants already used the online format in 2024 to inform themselves about current developments in logistics, transport, and commercial vehicle technology in 30 live sessions. The platform offers, alongside knowledge transfer, numerous digital opportunities for networking and exchange between participants and partners.
Further information and the current program of the Conference Days at https://conference-days.de/. Expired sessions are available via stream.
