“Refueling a hydrogen car is equivalent to refueling a gas car. You attach the gun to the connector in the car and within 3–5 minutes, the hydrogen tank is full. This allows the car to drive approximately 600 kilometers,” explains Resaton Area Sales Manager Hendrik Sijtsma.
The company, a world leader in hydrogen filling station technology, is currently constructing new stations in Sweden and Tallinn, Estonia.
During an international hydrogen event organized by Business Oulu, Sijtsma will showcase a refueling station. Ina Westerlund will present a large wooden box that transported the gas station from Holland.
Such a model is essential because there are currently no hydrogen filling stations in Finland and the projects are still on hold.
Sijtsma notes, “The most expensive part is the plant’s compressor and tanks, which are not visible to a motorist filling up with hydrogen. We want to show this because there are no hydrogen filling stations in Finland. The closest one to Helsinki will soon be in Tallinn, where two gas stations are under construction.”
Used car.
Lauri Perämäki showcases the hydrogen car Toyota Miraita at Tullisal in Oulu. This car was transported to Oulu from Jyväskylä by flatbed truck because there are no hydrogen filling stations in Finland.
PHOTO: Heikki Sarviaho
Low societal support in Finland is slowing down the construction of a hydrogen refueling network. The initial projects in Järvenpää and Lieto are currently on hold.
In Finland, the maximum subsidy for hydrogen filling stations is 40 percent, whereas last year in Sweden it was 100 percent and this year it’s 70 percent. One filling station costs approximately two million euros.
“The maximum level of support was defined in the related regulation, which was a political decision. However, the minister can increase the subsidy percentage if he wishes, without requiring a change in the law,” says Pekka Ripatti, leader of the Renewable Energy Group of the Energy Agency.
In Central Europe, the hydrogen network is generously supported (an average of 70 percent support), and Germany and France use EU national funds, each providing 6–7 billion euros, for the green transition.
“The money available to us is only about 400 million euros. This creates a chicken and egg effect. There will be no hydrogen cars if there is no refueling network,” says Timo Ritonummi, industrial adviser from the Ministry of Labor and the Economy, during a presentation at the hydrogen event in Oulu.
According to Ritonummi, the EU has set an ambitious goal to have a hydrogen refueling station on main roads, every 200 kilometers on average.
By 2030, up to 1,500 hydrogen refueling stations should be built in Europe. Currently, there are 228 stations, with 101 in Germany, 41 in France, and 25 in the Netherlands.
The EU’s AFIR regulation on alternative fuels aims to reduce traffic emissions by 55 percent by 2030. It includes the construction of a hydrogen refueling network.
Green hydrogen is particularly suitable for heavy trucks. The hydrogen tank pressure is 35 MPa in trucks and 79 MPa in passenger cars. This allows the gas to be packed into a smaller space.
“The promised 40 percent subsidy (790,000 euros) for the Järvenpää station is too low to implement a project costing roughly two million euros,” says Herkko Plit, managing director of P2X Solutions Oy, who is working on the station.
The hydrogen needed for the station will be transported by silo truck to Järvenpää from the company’s new Harjavalta hydrogen plant, which is the first of its kind in Finland.
Plit also attended the hydrogen event in Oulu.
“Our Liedo filling station has been granted a subsidy of around 80,000 euros. According to the support conditions, it should be used by the end of August, but we will not exceed that,” says Petri Luoma, operational manager of Hydra Oy.
The Norwegian company that acquired Hydra last year, Norwegian Hydrogen, has halted previous discussions about constructing up to 21 hydrogen refueling stations in Finland. The reason is the low level of support in Finland and the small number of users, which is currently zero.
“The first station, the Tornio filling station, will be built according to the preliminary plan in 2025. After that, the stations in Vantaa, Jyväskylä and Liminga will be opened,” says Luoma.
The vision is to have heavy traffic powered by hydrogen. Hydrogen trucks are being planned for the Swedish road network. These trucks have a 100 kilo tank that could drive 850 kilometers and have a maximum weight of 60 tons.
Sweden is already rapidly building a nationwide hydrogen refueling network, despite the low number of hydrogen cars.
“Last year, 13 hydrogen filling stations were completed in southern Sweden up to Gothenburg, for the construction of which the Swedish government granted 100 percent support. This year, construction of the Northern Sweden network will commence from Umeå with 70 percent support. After that, filling stations will be completed in two years in Skellefteå, Luluaja, Överkalix, Jällivaara and Kiiruna,” says Rob Castien, managing director of Resato Hydrogen Technology.
A Dutch company is responsible for the construction of gas stations. Its competitor is Renault Group, which also provides hydrogen refueling technology.
“In Holland, gas stations are run by, among other things, large oil companies, such as Total. Our role is in building them,” says Castien.
Refueling stations in the Netherlands have been implemented in three different ways: Hydrogen is produced in a production plant and transported by truck to the tank of the refueling station. In the second option, a long pipe is led from the hydrogen plant to the refueling station. In the third option, hydrogen is produced at a filling station, in which case there is a small production plant with compressors required by the electrolysis process.
“The advantages of hydrogen fuel are zero emissions, quick and easy refueling, and a long range. There are 550 hydrogen-powered passenger cars in the Netherlands,” says Sijtsma, who also drives a hydrogen car.
According to him, a hydrogen car does not freeze in freezing weather.
“In my hometown of Groningen, 15 all-electric buses stopped working this winter when the temperature dropped below -5 degrees below zero,” says Sijtsma.
The spread of hydrogen cars is slowed down by its expensive price. The Toyota Mirai costs about 75,000 euros in Finland, and the Hyundai Nexo about 80,000 euros.
Driving on hydrogen is also expensive.
“In Germany and the Netherlands, the price of hydrogen per kilo is 10–20 euros, but it is predicted to decrease as the number of users increases,” says Sijtsma.
In the Netherlands, the majority of hydrogen car drivers are company cars driven by the operational management of companies.
“There are a few environmentally conscious consumers in the group,” Sijtsma knows.
“A medium-sized SUV like the Hyundai Nexo consumes a kilo of hydrogen per hundred kilometers. You can drive 666 kilometers on one tank (6.33 kilos). The last time I looked on the Mobility website, the average price of hydrogen in Europe was just under 13 euros per kilo,” says Tuomo Hulkkonen, the next senior engineer in the hydrogen industry from the Energy Agency.
“The goal is to squeeze the price of hydrogen per kilo in Finland below 10 euros,” says Hydre Oy’s Luoma.
Hydrogen plant.
Juha Autioniemi, a teacher at Lapland University of Applied Sciences, presents a small, portable hydrogen plant for educational use worth 200,000 euros, which was brought to Oulu for hydrogen days.
PHOTO: Tapio Mainio
The widespread use of hydrogen in transport is not easy. Last year, oil company Shell decided to close all hydrogen fueling stations in the United States. All 55 of its hydrogen fueling stations are located in the state of California.
The reason for closing hydrogen stations is the poor sales of hydrogen cars in the United States. Last year, 2,996 hydrogen cars were sold nationwide, most of them in California. In comparison, approximately 1.1 million fully electric cars were sold.
Hydrogen is produced by splitting water. In the electrolysis process, water and electricity are the main raw materials. Electricity separates the hydrogen molecule from the oxygen in the water. This process consumes a lot of electricity and accounts for two-thirds of the production cost of hydrogen.
This process generates a considerable amount of so-called side flow heat, which should be used in the production of district heat. The method is old and efforts are currently being made to improve the efficiency of electrolysis. Hydrogen, as such, does not exist on Earth and must always be produced. The majority of hydrogen is used in the production of oil and fertilizers.
