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May 23, 2023

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks: Second Contract from Renova AB

H2X Global secures a second contract from Renova AB for Hydrogen Fuel Cell trucks for the City of Gothenburg, Sweden. 

H2X Renova 2nd Contract

  •  H2X Global awarded contract valued at up to 240 million Swedish Kronor ($US22.9 million) 
  • Vehicles to form part of Gothenburg City’s zero emissions fleet


Gothenburg, Sweden, Thursday 18 May, 2023 – H2X Global has been chosen as supplier of FCEV significant fleet-wide contract worth up to 240 million SEK, by Renova AB for the purchase of hydrogen fuel-powered commercial trucks for the city of Gothenburg.  

Upon completion, this contract will establish the largest fleet of its kind in Sweden. 

The award, received by H2X Global’s subsidiary H2X Gothenburg AB, comes from a second public tender released in December 2022. H2X Global has successfully secured vehicles in 12 out of the 13 categories specified in the tender, covering both 18 and 26 tonne vehicle classes.  

The hydrogen fuel cell-powered trucks are designed to meet a range of truck configurations required by Renova, including tail lift dumpers, garbage compactors, hook lifts, and crane loaders. The vehicles offer the same range and load capacity as traditional fossil-fuelled vehicles while delivering zero emissions. 

Renova AB, the city’s waste management operator owned by ten municipalities in western Sweden, will be responsible for operating these vehicles. The development and operation of the vehicles are planned to take place over the next three years. 

Furthermore, the introduction of these vehicles will drive demand for the hydrogen refuelling station commissioned by Hynion, among others. The station, set to open near Renova by Q1 2024, will support Gothenburg City and Renova AB in their commitment to transition their fleet to zero emissions. 

The commitment is to assemble the vehicles locally in Sweden. This approach will contribute to employment generation in the region of Gothenburg while improving logistics and sustainability in production. These commitments form a vital part of H2X Global’s local development and its goal of making hydrogen a cost-competitive solution for the decarbonization of back-to-base fleet operations. 

Bill Moss – H2X’s Head of Sales & Marketing stated,” The award from Renova AB and the City of Gothenburg is a testament to H2X Global’s outstanding products and service to its clients in the transition towards zero-emissions. This recognition acknowledges H2X Global’s leadership among other OEMs in achieving the goal of decarbonizing the commercial transportation and waste sectors.” 

Peter Westh, H2X’s Head of Northern Europe stated,” The new range of vehicles offered by H2X has been developed to perfectly meet the needs of the Scandinavian and European markets for zero-emission commercial vehicles. This aligns with the latest directives in Sweden for energy transition and complements European projects focused on carbon-free mobility solutions.”  

 

About H2X Global 

H2X is an automotive and power unit company focused on absolute sustainability. The company is focused on harnessing the most efficient and effective technologies, with the onus on capturing free and renewable energy sources. A specialization in hydrogen is the basis of H2X’s growth, however, with a strong platform as a maker of electrically powered vehicles, the company has a versatile approach to finding the right vehicle for the right task. H2X Global has operations in Australia, Malaysia, India, and throughout Europe. www.h2xglobal.com 

About Renova AB 

The Renova Group is owned by ten municipalities in western Sweden. Our mission is to collaborate with our owner municipalities in taking responsibility for waste and recycling over the long term. We aim to deliver community benefit through business activities and to actively contribute to sustainable development within our owners’ region. 

The Group consists of the parent company Renova AB and subsidiary Renova Miljö AB. The parent company is the owner-municipalities’ own waste expert and conducts tasks directly allocated by them. The subsidiary Renova Miljö AB operates on a competitive market and offers complete solutions in waste and recycling to businesses, municipalities, and other public enterprises in our owners’ region. 

Our goal is to always be able to offer the market’s best range of services within our industry, with environment, quality and customer service remaining paramount. 

About The city of Gothenburg  

Gothenburg is the innovation powerhouse of Sweden, and the country’s second largest city. Situated at the west coast it harbours Scandinavia’s largest port. Business Region Gothenburg is the municipality’s non-profit company working to strengthen and develop trade and industry in the Gothenburg region, offering competence and contacts within a wide variety of areas and industries.  

 

For further information contact: 

 

Peter Westh 

Head of H2X Global for Northern Europe 

Phone +46707804041 

Email [email protected] 

 

Bill Moss 

Head of Sales & Marketing 

Phone +447766815285 

Email [email protected] 

 

Tony Blackie 

VP Communication & Media 

Phone +61 411 743 142 

Email [email protected] 

May 19, 2023

Trust an Aussie company to come up with a hydrogen-powered ute

Hans van Leeuwen
Europe correspondent
May 19, 2023 – 7.21am

Rotterdam | It has taken an Australian-founded company to bring that definitive Aussie touch to the embryonic market for hydrogen vehicles. At the hydrogen industry’s global jamboree in Rotterdam last week, H2X showcased a hydrogen-powered ute.

H2X’s stall at the back of the Dutch city’s cavernous exhibition centre attracted an almost constant crowd of the keen and the curious, gazing raptly at the converted Ford Ranger with a hydrogen motor under the bonnet.

 

H2X co-founder Chris Reitz with a prototype hydrogen-fuelled ute. Hans van Leeuwen

“We made it a 4WD – that got us a lot of response, more than we expected,” H2X co-founder Chris Reitz told AFR Weekend as he stood by and spruiked his Australian-born start-up.

The Warrego has a top speed of 130 kilometres an hour and a range of about 500 kilometres from its fuel tank, made of woven carbon fibre and containing 4.8 kilograms of hydrogen.

But if you’re wondering where you might refill the tank, therein lies the catch. In the worldwide absence of any network of hydrogen fuelling stations, H2X’s pitch is to owners of professional fleets – companies with a base at which refuelling can take place.

“The backbone of our business is professional drivers – so we work with fleets and back-to-base set-ups,” Mr Reitz said.

He sees that as a positive, as it allows H2X to start building scale before countries get a full hydrogen-vehicle refuelling infrastructure in place.

“We solve the whole chicken-and-egg problem,” he said.

A big company in the vehicle manufacturing chain, known as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer), would need to launch a new product at national or even continental scale.

“They won’t reach the numbers to break even at that point. To do that they need an infrastructure of filling stations covering that continent,” Mr Reitz said. “We can deliver, say, an 800-vehicle order, whereas OEMs need to think big.”

Mr Reitz said bus and truck fleet owners would be attracted to hydrogen because they have to run the vehicles up to 24 hours a day, so they would prefer the faster refuelling time. It takes so much longer to recharge a battery that you might need twice as many vehicles, to cover for those that are on charge.

“We believe battery has its place, we never criticise it. But for certain applications, hydrogen has the advantage that you can refuel in the time that you are used to,” he said.

 

Calling card

For both its utes and trucks, H2X will initially drop its hydrogen power trains into existing models, like the Ford Ranger on display in Rotterdam.

It is unlikely, though, that Australians or Europeans will see thousands of Warregos on the road – Mr Reitz described it as more of a calling card.

“There is high demand for utes, but they are expensive for us because we need to buy them and retrofit them. So the margin is not there,” he said.

“We will do a limited number. It’s a demonstrator product. We’re using it as a test for the production of a 3.5-tonne van.”

The Darling van is the subject that gets Mr Reitz most animated. The company has been looking at ways to manufacture it less carbon-intensively. This involves making a chassis almost origami-style, rather than pressing it together in energy-guzzling stamping facilities.

The van prototypes are being made in Germany and the Netherlands, with production of up to 70,000 vehicles a year to start at a first factory potentially as soon as 2026.

 

A computer image of H2X’s planned hydrogen-fuelled van.


H2X also has a plant in Sweden, where it is installing hydrogen engines into the chassis of 18-tonne and 26-tonne trucks for clients in that region. In Gothenburg, they have a contract to supply garbage trucks, and the council has its own hydrogen filling station.

The company’s vision is to produce its vehicles at small plants in each country where it gets enough demand, rather than shipping vehicles around the world. The target markets are north-western Europe, South-East Asia and Australia.

“We will produce in situ – that’s more sustainable. Big manufacturers need to produce in a very different way because they are on a different scale to us,” Mr Reitz said.

He and Australian co-founder and CEO Brendan Norman set up H2X in 2020 after having worked together with Chinese group Grove Automotive, until the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way of that partnership.

The original plan was to produce cars for the retail and industrial markets in the NSW town of Port Kembla, but the focus has shifted to a more step-by-step strategy involving professional fleets in Europe.

Standing right next to the ute, though, it is hard not to feel that the promise of everyday drivers being able to choose hydrogen might be within touching distance.

Mr Reitz cautiously agreed: “I believe it will penetrate the market more and more. It’s a little bit like diesel versus gasoline: there will be complementary technologies. Diversity is good for any market.”

 

https://www.afr.com/companies/manufacturing/trust-an-aussie-company-to-come-up-with-a-hydrogen-powered-ute-20230519-p5d9la

 

May 4, 2023

World Hydrogen Summit 2023

We are excited to announce that, following last year’s success, H2XGlobal will be attending the World Hydrogen Summit 2023 with the support of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade). We invite you to come speak to us at our stand in the Hydrogen Action Zone, where we will be showcasing our Warrego Pick up, currently being commissioned in the Netherlands in collaboration with MOBIHY and the City of Rotterdam.

 World Hydrogen 2023 is doubling in size to enable more companies than ever to showcase, the programme is full of insights & showcases for the entire Eco-system bringing together government, research, innovation and the private sector dedicated solely to Hydrogen industry advancement.

As a leading developer of hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), we are committed to accelerating the transition to a zero-emission future. The World Hydrogen Summit is the perfect platform for us to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations and to share our insights on the role of hydrogen in decarbonizing the transport and energy sectors.