Shell opens Europe’s largest PEM electrolyser

Hydrogen can play a significant role in decarbonising transport. In order to play that role, Shell is providing world leading hydrogen road infrastructure for hydrogen fuel cell cars, in line with customer demand. Today, Shell has opened around 50 hydrogen stations for light duty vehicles and has approved the construction of 50 more.

Hydrogen vehicles store energy as compressed hydrogen fuel. These vehicles can drive up to 700 km on one tank of fuel and take only a few minutes to refill.

Hydrogen vehicles also produce no greenhouse gases from the exhaust pipe – the only emission is water vapour. Indeed, when renewable electricity is used to produce the hydrogen, then the process of driving a hydrogen vehicle is nearly entirely emission-free.

H2 mobility joint venture in Germany

In Germany, Shell is a member of the H2 Mobility joint-venture for developing a nationwide network of hydrogen fuelling stations for passenger cars. The venture already operates more than 80 stations across the country, with plans to reach 100 in mid-2021.

Refuelling stations in California

Shell has opened eight hydrogen refuelling stations in California, with a ninth due to open in early 2021. This number is set to grow beyond 50 after Shell was awarded $40.8 million by the California Energy Commission to install hydrogen refuelling equipment at 48 existing Shell retail stations, upgrade two Shell hydrogen stations and add light-duty fuelling dispensers at one existing Shell hydrogen heavy-duty truck station.

Shell also has hydrogen stations in the UK, the Netherlands and Canada, with plans to open our first stations in China.

See the map below to see all Shell hydrogen stations globally.

Hydrogen has the potential to be an important, safe, low-carbon transport fuel, particularly for heavy-duty transport such as trucks, buses and shipping.

Heavy duty trucking H2Accelerate

Shell is involved in H2Accelerate, a mobility consortium designed to create the conditions for a large-scale rollout of hydrogen trucking infrastructure across Europe in the next decade. Working together with Daimler AG, IVECO, OMV and Volvo Group, H2Accelerate aims to prove the viability of hydrogen for heavy duty in Europe, first in small clusters then rapidly across the continent by 2030. Synchronized investments across the sector during the 2020s will create the conditions for the mass market roll-out of hydrogen fueled heavy duty transportation which is required to meet the European ambition of net zero emissions by 2050.

California refuelling stations for trucks

In California, Shell is part of a consortium that is developing three new large-capacity refuelling stations for heavy-duty hydrogen fuel-cell trucks, in collaboration with Toyota and Kenworth Truck Company. These stations will form the first hydrogen truck refuelling network in California. In doing so they will help reduce emissions along a heavily polluted road that connects the Port of Los Angeles with a major warehouse complex inland. This is a multi-year project.

Shipping

Shell is working closely with partners on the delivery of the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier. The ship, Suiso Frontier, was launched in 2019. It will be a demonstration case for potential large-scale distribution of hydrogen between Australia and Japan.

Buses

A Dutch bus company will fuel their buses with hydrogen from Shell at a newly built hydrogen station. Qbuzz plans to have 20 buses driving on hydrogen fuel by 2021.

See the map below to see all Shell hydrogen stations globally.