Iveco Group is now a step closer to its vision of delivering hydrogen-powered trucks in Europe later this year, with Air Liquide opening a high-pressure refueling station in Fos-sur-Mer, France.

The companies signed a related memorandum of understanding in December 2021.

The station itself can deliver one ton of hydrogen per day, drawing on the fuel through a pipeline, and on June 26 fueled a prototype Iveco fuel cell truck.

It’s part of the French-funded Hydrogene a Aix-Marseille pour une Mobilite Ecologique et Durable (HyAMMED) project and H2Haul – a European initiative co-funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership and launched in 2019.

A second station able to deliver two tons of hydrogen per day at 700 bar will be installed in Salon-de-Province to support a fleet of 50 hydrogen-powered Model Year 2025 Iveco trucks.

‘Decisive’ first step

“To encourage the widespread use of hydrogen, we must collectively create the conditions for the sector to flourish,” Air Liquide vice-president hydrogen energy world business line Erwin Penfornis said in a press release.

He called it a “decisive first step and the kick-off to a greater ambition” with Iveco.

“Our strategy for increasingly sustainable mobility is based on a technology-neutral approach and hydrogen mobility is a key building block on this path,” added Iveco Group CEO Gerrit Marx. “Today we showed that we have all the capabilities, both the vehicles and the stations, to put a true hydrogen mobility ecosystem on the road: the strategy is becoming reality.”

Iveco recently assumed full ownership of a joint venture with Nikola Corporation, allowing it to commercialize its own battery-electric and fuel-cell-electric trucks in Europe, leaving Nikola to focus on North America.

Nikola sold its stake in the venture for US$35 million and 20.6 million shares in Nikola stock.