New Energies, new possibilities

Green light for hydrogen production in Stuttgart – four electrolysers, each with a capacity of up to 10 MW.

The public utility company Stadtwerke Stuttgart is pressing ahead with its plans for hydrogen production at Stuttgart harbour. The supervisory board has given the green light for the ‘Green Hydrogen Hub Stuttgart’ (GH2S) project, the municipal utility announced. The plan is to build four electrolysers, each with a capacity of up to 10 MW, which will produce up to 1,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year in future. Construction is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2025, with commissioning scheduled for the end of 2026.

H2 pipeline between Stuttgart and Esslingen

The municipal utilities have bus and heavy goods transport in particular in mind as customers for the hydrogen. A hydrogen refuelling station is therefore also to be built in the vicinity of the production plant. At the same time, the project will also be connected to the planned ‘H2 GeNeSis’ pipeline. The joint project of a regional consortium aims to develop an H2 model region in the Stuttgart area. At the centre of the project is a pipeline that will connect the cities of Esslingen and Stuttgart and supply customers along the route with the green energy source. The municipal utilities from Stuttgart and Esslingen are part of the Genesis project consortium.

Stadtwerke Stuttgart emphasised that the electrolysers on the banks of the Neckar will only use green electricity in future. In addition, the hydrogen generators will primarily be used in phases of excess supply of renewable energies. This will be done on the basis of AI control and is also supposed to help to relieve the local power grids.

READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central

Green light for hydrogen production in Stuttgart – four electrolysers, each with a capacity of up to 10 MW. source

Green light for hydrogen production in Stuttgart - four electrolysers, each with a capacity of up to 10 MW - Hydrogen Central (hydrogen-central.com)

So, does the hydrogen combustion engine offer a viable route to continuing ICE vehicle production? According to IDTechEx’s new 'Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines 2025-2045: Applications, Technologies, Market Status and Forecasts' report, the answer is, at least for cars, no. But why?

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, and is also the lightest. When combusted in the presence of oxygen, hydrogen releases a huge amount of energy – around 39.3 kWh per kg. In comparison, a kilogram of diesel contains 12.6 kWh. This might suggest that hydrogen is a wonder fuel, able to store huge quantities of energy and enable hydrogen-powered vehicles to travel enormous distances without needing large storage tanks. This is only half true, and weight is only part of the problem. The big issue is volume.

While hydrogen has a high gravimetric energy density, it has a very low volumetric energy density, about 3000 times less than diesel at atmospheric pressure. To get useful amounts of energy, hydrogen must be stored as a compressed gas, typically at 350- or 700-times atmospheric pressure. Even in its most dense form (liquid), hydrogen contains just 26% of the energy per volume as diesel.

The driveable range also factors in the energy efficiency of a vehicle. This is where H2ICE falters compared with its hydrogen counterpart, the fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), which travel further on the same amount of hydrogen than an H2ICE vehicle.

IDTechEx has analysed the real-world performance of various H2ICE and FCEV vehicles to assess fuel consumption, and the results clearly show that FCEVs are more fuel-efficient. For a passenger car to run on hydrogen combustion and achieve a range comparable to a petrol/diesel ICE, it would need an enormous storage vessel – a tank 3.5x larger would be required to contain the same energy content.

IDTechEx’s report explores some of the sectors where these challenges are less pronounced, and the case for H2ICE is much stronger. For passenger cars, however, the future seems set to be electric.

To find out more about the new IDTechEx report, visit www.IDTechEx.com/H2ICE.

IDTechEx: volume and not weight rules out hydrogen combustion for passenger cars | Global Hydrogen Review

トヨタ自動車とドイツのBMWが、水素で走る燃料電池車（FCV）分野で提携を拡大すると発表した。次世代車の本命とみられてきた電気自動車（EV）は世界的に販売が失速し、メーカー各社は方針転換を迫られている。ハイブリッド車（HV）が好調なトヨタは、FCV戦略も一気に加速させる狙いだ。 【比べてみる】FCV、EV、HVの長所と短所 トヨタとBMWは共同で、小型で高効率な次世代の燃料電池システムの開発を目指す。BMWは同社初となるFCVの量産を2028年に始める。両社は12年6月にFCV分野での協業を発表したが、トヨタからBMWへの部品供給など協力は限定的だった。 二酸化炭素（CO2）を走行中に排出しないFCVだが、普及のネックとなっているのが「価格の高さ」と、燃料となる水素を補充する「水素ステーションの少なさ」だ。両社の乗用車や商用車に燃料電池システムを搭載すれば販売台数が増え、価格競争力の向上が期待できる。水素ステーションなどインフラ整備についても両社は協力する。 BMWが5日に開いた説明会には、トヨタの佐藤恒治社長がビデオメッセージを寄せ「協業は新たな段階に入る。欧州の他のパートナーとも協力し、水素社会への移行を加速する」と述べた。 BMWのオリバー・ツィプセ会長は「自動車の歴史における画期的な出来事だ。多くの人がFCVを求める時代の幕開けとなる」と意義を強調した。 「EVシフト」は世界的な潮流となったが、欧州自動車工業会によると、欧州連合（EU）各国の乗用車販売に占めるEV比率は1割強にとどまっている。BMWの本拠地ドイツはEVへの購入補助金が打ち切られ、落ち込みが鮮明だ。 シェアを拡大したのは低価格が売りの中国メーカーだ。欧米各国は関税などで対抗するが、メーカーはEV戦略の転換を迫られた。 スウェーデンのボルボ・カーは30年までにEV専業になるとの目標を撤回し、HVの販売を続ける。米フォード・モーターもEVへの投資縮小を決めた。ドイツのフォルクスワーゲン（VW）はEVの販売減速や中国市場の低迷で業績が悪化。ドイツ国内の工場の閉鎖を検討していると明らかにした。 一方、トヨタは「EVシフト」から距離を置き、HVやFCVなど多様な選択肢を残す「全方位戦略」を進めてきた。HVは好調だが、FCV「ミライ」は販売価格が700万円以上と高額で、14年の発売から約10年間の累計販売台数は約2万6000台にとどまっている。基幹部品の共通化によるスケールメリットを生かし、コスト削減を図る。

トヨタ、BMWと提携拡大　燃料電池車で次世代狙う　世界的なEVの販売失速　好調なHV背景に「全方位戦略」一気に加速か（夕刊フジ） - Yahoo!ニュース