Official opening of new hydrogen filling station in Groningen, with 20 new hydrogen buses.
On Friday 11 June, the new hydrogen filling station at the Qbuzz bus depot on Peizerweg in Groningen was taken into use. Twenty new hydrogen buses were also presented. Groningen deputy Fleur Gräper – van Koolwijk performed the kick-off in the presence of Qbuzz director Gerrit Spijksma, director of the public transport agency Wilko Mol and Lisa Montanari, Hydrogen Commercial Manager of Shell Netherlands.
The new hydrogen filling station is one of the largest in Europe and is part of a larger development, the realization of the new hydrogen economy in the North. The deployment of these 20 hydrogen-powered buses means a strong increase in the use of green hydrogen. This helps to get the flywheel of supply and demand going. Fleur Gräper – van Koolwijk adds: “Today, another big step, or rather a big leap, has been made in the introduction of green hydrogen as a successor to fossil fuels such as diesel oil and natural gas. Hydrogen works, hydrogen is becoming normal and will be the future of the Northern Netherlands.”
A bus storage with new energy carriers together on one site.
The gas station has two filling points. A bus is refueled in less than ten minutes and can cover about 400 kilometers. The hydrogen buses can be used on longer routes in regional transport where an electric bus with batteries is not always suitable. With this, Qbuzz shows how battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles are a valuable addition to each other in mobility. Gerrit Spijksma states: “There is now a bus parking facility in Groningen that makes it possible to switch over compactly and efficiently to the energy carriers of the future: green electricity and green hydrogen. A type of parking facility like this is unique for the time being.”
We just started building
Shell has built the hydrogen filling point and supplies the green hydrogen that can be refueled. The hydrogen is delivered by trailer. “Before refueling, the hydrogen is still compressed and cooled. This all happens at the filling point, which is located next to the large number of battery-electric buses from Qbuzz. A great example of the different options for cleaner transport that Qbuzz offers,” says Lisa Montanari, Commercial Manager Hydrogen at Shell. “We use certified green hydrogen here until we can produce green hydrogen ourselves. In addition, we regularly test the filling point to ensure that it functions as optimally as possible. Together we show that we cannot wait for the hydrogen economy. We just started building.”
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
Further greening
OV-bureau and Qbuzz want to make an extra effort in the coming years in making all buses green. Wilko Mol about this: “We would really like to have a number of Qliners run on hydrogen. There are just no coaches that run on hydrogen yet. It would be great if we also had the scoop in Groningen of the first hydrogen coach that travels really large distances in one day. Then 800 kilometers a day is no exception.”
The North creates the new hydrogen economy with public transport at the forefront, 11 June
